Eternal
by The Typhon Serpent
Summary: Tamaki loses his home when his grandmother discovers the secret he's been hiding. Kyoya is trying to keep the same secret from his father. With their friends, they get by. But how long before their luck runs out? TamakixKyoya. Yaoi.
1. Chapter 1

This … is an experiment.

I wish to make that perfectly clear: it's an experiment.

I have never written lemons before. I have never written slash before. I have never used this pairing before. I have never dealt with drama in the same way as I am about to. It has been *years* since I last attempted to make a Fanfiction OC. The writing style is probably going to change a couple times between chapters as I try new things.

This is an experiment. Please, oh please be gentle.

It's my personal opinion that the first chapter is depressing.

Music theme for chapter – "Eternal" by Evanescence

**CHAPTER 1**

Outside the Fujioka home, the rain fell in buckets. The streets had long ago flooded, leaving Haruhi in her home alone. Her father, after working one of his late nights, couldn't drive home, so he was staying at a coworker's house until the storm let up. Luckily, it wasn't a thunderstorm, just an unexpected downpour, so the phone and power lines were still functional. She managed to make herself comfortable under a kotatsu table while flipping through a text book and diligently studying for the Tokyo U entrance exams. She stood and made her way to the kitchen, deciding it was time for a snack. She was ready to reach for a bag of chips when she heard a knock from the door. She heaved a sigh, who would be visiting at this time of night and in this weather? And for that matter, why did visitors always come when she was underdressed? Well, whoever it was would have to deal with her t-shirt and non-designer jeans for the time being.

"Tamaki-Senpai?" she breathed at the rain-drenched figure on the other side of the doorway.

"… Didn't know where else to go." The blond faked a weary smile … very obviously faked. His eyes were puffy and bloodshot, his lips were chapped, his shirt looked it had been dropped in a swimming pool, and his shoes … weren't there. But his feet were covered in blisters and the bottoms of his pants were frayed.

"Come inside." She said, shutting the door behind him once Tamaki entered, "Did you … walk all the way here?"

He nodded.

"You might feel better after a shower." She said, leading him towards the bathroom with a gesture of her hand, "The towels are in the cupboard there, I can dry your clothes for you, too."

"You're very kind." He said, squeezing out another forced smile.

"We're friends, aren't we?" she replied, returning the smile.

"But you still address me as Senpai."

"Old habits die hard I guess."

"I guess … thank you." He added before stepping into the bathroom and shutting the door behind him.

Haruhi waited outside the door until a few minutes after she heard the water start before stepping into the bathroom as quickly as possible and grabbing the soaked clothes from the counter. She took a towel from the hallway cupboard and made her way to the laundry room, throwing the clothes in the washer and the towel in the dryer, setting the dryer's timer for ten minutes. While waiting, she loped to her father's room and retrieved a box of clothes from the bottom of his closet that had been stored due to lack of use. She carefully selected a pair of pants and a green sweater that looked about Tamaki's size in time for the dryer's timer to go off. Taking the warm towel and folding it on top of the clothes, she snuck back into the bathroom and set them on the counter for when her friend came out. She set about making a pot of green tea while she waited for him to emerge. When the tea was finished, they crossed paths in the hallway, Haruhi holding two mugs by their handles in one hand and carrying the tea pot in the other.

"There, the dry look is good for you." She said, trying out another friendly smile, "Have a seat." She led him back to the living room. The kotatsu table would have to be a paradise for the blue-eyed teen's sore feet. After setting down the tea and mugs, she moved her text book off the table and poured tea for each of them, taking a seat opposite Tamaki. She raised her cup to her lips and took a sip before noticing her friend was only giving the tea a vacant stare.

"Aren't you going to drink it?" she asked, setting down her mug.

"I'm not thirsty."

"Liar." She snorted, earning a surprised raise of the head in response, "You're dehydrated from crying on the way over here."

Tamaki smiled again, this time somewhat genuinely, at his brunette friend's intuition. The smile quickly faded, though. In exasperation, Haruhi stood and went to the other side of the table to take a seat next to him. Taking up the mug, she held it out for him to take and helped him to keep it steady as trembling hands brought it to his mouth. He drained the mug in seconds. He must have finally realized how thirsty he was to drink so quickly with no qualms as to how hot it was. She patiently poured him another mug, which he didn't even grant a second glance to. Another half-second later, he had collapsed onto her shoulder, sobbing and shaking uncontrollably.

She rubbed his back soothingly. Whatever rant or explanation he might have come up with beforehand was only coming out in the form of broken sentences now. "Everything I do … _everything_ I do … and she … I couldn't help it, I … i-it happened so fast, that I couldn't … first … and now … I hate her … " he choked while staining Haruhi's clothes darker with tears.

"Shhh, take it easy, Senpai. It's OK." She soothed, engulfing him in a close embrace. Tamaki's grandmother had always struck her as old-fashioned, so this came as no real surprise to her. The couple had made every effort to hide their relationship, but it was never a secret to the members of the Host club. Even after Tamaki and Kyoya graduated, the group had promised not to leak the secret to anyone.

Tamaki's sobs eventually dissolved into the occasional sniffle. He leaned back and wiped his face with his sleeve. Haruhi's hands lingered on his shoulders. "Does Kyoya know?" she asked.

He shook his head. "He's still at Keio University." He said with another sniff, "I was going to visit him this weekend, but …"

"We'll take the train this weekend and visit him, then." She decided aloud, "He'll at least want to know what's going on. You can stay here as long as you want."

"I-I don't want to impose."

"You're an idiot." Haruhi stated bluntly, "All we've been through and you still think you're imposing? Get real." She stood and started down the hallway, "I'm going to set up the spare bedroom. Help yourself to whatever's in the fridge. And drink up, I don't want you complaining about a headache later."

* * *

Tamaki blinked the sleep out of his sapphire eyes. He wasn't sure what time it was, but he was still a bit groggy and his muscles were very sore from the night before, so he turned to the side to nuzzle the pillow some more.

"Wake up, sleepyhead!" A male voice chimed from the doorway.

A fuzzy-headed blond looked up to see the long-haired redhead known as Ryoji Fujioka standing in the doorway. He immediately jumped in surprise. "Sir, I swear, you daughter and I did nothing inappropriate last night! I came over, yes, but I was a perfect gentleman!"

"Oh, relax." Ryoji said, tossing the polo shirt and pants from the night before at him, "Haruhi said you fell asleep before those finished washing. I also have some old clothes like the ones you're wearing if you don't like those. In any case, we need to go shopping. We'll go to the shoe store first. I have some old tennis shoes you can borrow for the time being. I'm making breakfast, but I won't wait for you, so hop to it."

Tamaki stared in amazement after Haruhi's father left. It was easy to see where Haruhi got her kindness, even if he was being a bit pushy about it. After donning his clothes and trying his best to smooth out his bedhead, he made his way to the kitchen and towards the smell of cooking eggs.

He had failed to notice a few minutes prior that Ryoji was wearing a blue dress with a pink apron over it. He did his best not to stare, but Ryoji simply looked up from the stove with a smile. "What do you like on your omelet?" he asked.

"Anything's fine." Tamaki sighed, lingering by the doorway. As nice as the calmness was after last night, anything was better than the silence, so he tried desperately to strike up a conversation. "I noticed there was a computer in your spare bedroom."

"It was my wife's office before she died." Ryoji explained as he flipped the omelet over in the pan, "Haruhi sometimes uses the computer for homework, but that's just about it. So we turned it into a spare bedroom for visiting relatives and guests like you."

"I see …" Tamaki watched the redhead flip the omelet onto a plate and pour some juice into a glass. Ryoji handed the plate and glass to Tamaki before giving the blond head of hair a playful ruffle. "Try not to look so down in the dumps, kid." He said, before taking his own plate and moving to the table. Tamaki followed, taking a seat opposite the older man.

"It's a little hard not to." The blond said with a shrug, taking his fork and poking at a mushroom that was peeking out beneath the layers of fluffy egg.

Ryoji shot a slight glare at his guest. "Eat up. I won't be insulted if you say it's terrible, but at least give it a try."

Tamaki did as he was told, cutting off a piece of the omelet and chewing it slowly. It was surprisingly tasty. Ryoji had added green pepper and sausage alongside the mushrooms, as well as a few spices. "It's good." He said, taking a few more bites.

"I'm glad you like it." Ryoji said. Though, his next statement threw poor Tamaki through a loop. "Forgive me if this is a personal question, but I am a little curious. Did you tell your parents about your boyfriend?"

Tamaki spat out his orange juice in alarm, coughing a few times at what had managed to get down his throat during his shock. "Just what did Haruhi tell you!" he managed to say once he was done choking.

"Now, now, Haruhi's been a good friend and only told me that you were going through a rough time and needed a place to stay. But come on, you didn't _really_ think you could hide in the closet from a drag queen, did you, dearie?"

Tamaki had to take a moment to still his pounding heart before speaking again. At least Ryoji was ten times more accepting than his grandmother was. Should he have expected any less? He took a deep breath to try and calm himself. "Can't get anything past you, can I?" he said with a weak smile.

"Oh, don't get me wrong, dear, you did a good job of hiding things. I even thought you held some interest in Haruhi for a while there."

"Perhaps, at some point." Tamaki said, his smile becoming a little more genuine, "But Haruhi's more of a sister to me. I've known Kyoya for years. You know, at one point, his father was going to make him quit the Host Club? He basically threw it back in his father's face, he all but flat-out said 'I don't want your company and I don't care what you think anymore'. He's so brave, I admire him."

"He sounds like quite the guy."

"He is."

* * *

It was a very cold late autumn day in Minato, Tokyo. Normally, Kyoya could enjoy studying outdoors on his favorite café's deck. But today, he used one hand to click-clack away on his laptop and plucked a piece of sushi with his chopsticks using the other while sitting at one of Keio University's dining halls. His only evening class had been cancelled. Winter break was a few weeks away, so with nothing better to do for the rest of the day, he ate lunch and studied.

Hearing the familiar chime of his cell phone's ringtone, he reached into his pocket and checked the caller ID. Ritsu Kasanoda. The red-hared "Casanova" had joined the Host Club shortly after Mori and Honey graduated, more or less taking over Mori's former position in the club. As such, he had edged his way into Kyoya's group of friends.

"Hello?" Kyoya answered, setting down his chopsticks.

"_We have a problem."_ The gruff voice on the other end answered, _"There are some rumors flying around among the girls. One of them saw Tamaki walking down the street in the middle of the night. Rumor has it he was kicked out of his house."_

"What?" Kyoya unconsciously gripped the edge of the table; this could only mean one thing, "How many people are talking about it?"

"_Relax, that's the extent of the rumor, there's nothing about you in there and even if there was, I doubt it would ever reach your father's ears."_

Kyoya breathed a sigh of relief, "Do you know where Tamaki is?"

"_Sorry. I'll ask Haruhi and Mamoru when they get here."_

"Call his house, too. If it's what I think it is, they'll be more likely to answer to you than to me."

"_You know you're not in charge anymore, right?"_

"Do you want to help or not?"

"_Relax, I'm joking. I'll give them a call."_

"Thank you."

"_Yeah, yeah, no problem. I'm being requested. I'll call you back."_

"I'll talk to you soon."

His cell phone flipped shut with a click. He folded his hands and rested his forehead against them. This couldn't be happening. He still didn't have any plans to take over any of his family companies. He was going to business school because he wanted to start his own company. But he was attending school using Ootori family money. If his father found out about this, nineteen years, _his whole life_, spent proving himself to his father was going to go down the drain. This couldn't be happening. How was this happening?


	2. Chapter 2:  Summer Nights

I just discovered that M-Rated stories don't show up unless you change the ratings setting on the top of the page. I guess that means I should tell people to share this with their friends if they like it or something along those lines XD. I don't dare change the rating, you'll find out why later.

Thanks to those who have fav'd, reviewed, or added this to their watchlist. For once, I'm not writing for the views, I'm writing to push the limits of my own style. But the fact that it's apparently intriguing enough to keep reading is very encouraging to me, so thank you.

In other news: Fixed some minor mistakes in the last chapter. Nothing major that would make you need to re-read the chapter, just stuff that was bugging me.

This chapter is a flashback.

Music theme for chapter – "Hello" by Lionel Richie. Glee also does a cover of it that I enjoy.

**CHAPTER 2 – SUMMER NIGHTS** (no relation to Grease)

Tamaki plopped down in the sand next to Kyoya, earning a sigh as Kyoya slammed his book shut. No doubt Tamaki was convinced Kyoya was "lonely" sitting by himself. In truth, Kyoya wasn't all that fond of the beach in the first place, the most enjoyment he got out of it was reading a nice book while sitting on his towel in the shade of a beach umbrella, which he _was_ enjoying until now.

"You should join us." Tamaki said with a grin, "Haninozuka and Morinozuka will be leaving tomorrow."

"They're not leaving forever." Kyoya said, staring at the water where his friends were playing, "No doubt, they'll visit every holiday. Not to mention next summer." Even Ritsu seemed to be having a good time. It was surprising that Haruhi had convinced him to put on swim trunks. Haruhi herself donned a cute two-piece, and Honey was even jumping off of Mori's shoulders on occasion to swim. The twins switched between swimming and occupying themselves with whatever they could find in the tide pools. "Though, I have to confess, a trip to the beach is a creative idea for a going-away party." He added, letting a subtle smile slip through.

"Oooh, I saw that." Tamaki poked Kyoya's nose playfully.

"What?" he snapped.

"You smiled. I knew you were having a good time." Tamaki grinned and stood up to rush back to the water, accidentally kicking some sand onto Kyoya's towel in his haste, "When you're ready to admit you're having fun, you should come and swim with us!" he called back.

Kyoya stuck to his "no swimming" vow and dusted the sand off of his book and towel before returning to the story. However, he did join the group at the campfire a couple hours later, reluctantly participating in whatever games they decided to play.

"Honey-Senpai: truth or dare?" Haruhi said, choosing the victim carefully.

"Truth!" He chimed in response.

Haruhi thought on her question for a moment, "Will you miss us while you're at the advanced training dojo?"

"Of course I'll miss you. I could never forget such cool friends as you guys."

"That was a horrible question." Hikaru stated bluntly from beside his brother. He pulled his marshmallow out of the fire and blew on it before taking a bite.

"Alright, let's see you do better." Haruhi retorted with a slight scoff.

"No, it's my turn next." The redhead to her right said with a smirk. Ritsu's eyes scanned the circle before landing on the farsighted teen opposite him. "Kyoya-San: truth or dare?"

"Truth." Kyoya said (if he had any less enthusiasm while saying it, he might as well have been giving a lecture on plankton).

"Alright, do you have a crush on anyone?"

"Yes."

Ritsu frowned, "You're not going to elaborate."

"No. Between hormones and social lives, a crush is perfectly normal for any teenager. In fact, I'd be concerned if I met a teenager who _didn't_ have a crush on someone."

"Tch." The redhead scoffed, he had obviously been looking for an answer that was a little more gossip-worthy.

"Awww, my marshmallow burned." Karou said with a pout from where he sat to Ritsu's right.

"You won't have time to eat it anyway, because it's your turn to play." Tamaki said with a grin, obviously thoroughly enjoying himself regardless of how he hadn't been picked yet.

"Mori: truth or dare?" the twin said, eyeing his taller friend.

"Dare."

"I dare you eat this burnt marshmallow." Karou held up his stick so the charred marshmallow was being waved under Mori's nose. Mori plucked it from the stick and popped it into his mouth without hesitation, earning a look of slight disgust from his blond-haired cousin.

"OK, Hikaru, _now_ it's your turn." Haruhi said, giving the "go ahead" gesture with her hand.

"Alright." A devilish smirk appeared on Hikaru's face, "Boss: truth or dare?"

Tamaki's smile widened with obvious delight at being picked. "Dare!" he said immediately.

Hikaru's smirk became slightly more mischievous, "I dare you to kiss Kyoya. And not a peck on the cheek, either. It has to be on the lips, with tongue, for at least 30 seconds."

"What!" Kyoya said quickly, practically able to feel his glasses fogging up, "That's a ridiculous-"

Kyoya's sentence was cut off and his dark brown eyes widened when Tamaki's lips made contact with his own. With the blue-eyed teen leaning over him, he wasn't sure how to feel until he felt Tamaki's hand brush against his cheek and a foreign tongue lick at his lips. Kyoya's eyes drifted shut and his lips parted of their own accord, granting Tamaki's tongue passage to slip inside.

"Time's up!" Hikaru called, apparently, he had been staring at his watch the entire time.

"Did I win?" Tamaki asked, immediately parting from Kyoya and leaving the bewildered, black-haired host completely frozen in place.

"It's not a matter of winning or losing, Senpai." Haruhi sighed.

"But I got extra points or something, right?"

"Sure, why not?"

"My turn!" Honey said, raising his hand, "Usa-Chan, truth or dare?"

"You can't ask your stuffed rabbit." Ritsu said.

"Why not? She wants to play, too."

Kyoya stood, dusted the sand off of his knees, and walked away.

"Hey, Kyoya, where are you going?" Tamaki called, turning towards his friend.

"I just remembered I have something in the morning, I better get home."

"Oh … um, OK. I'll come over and we can hang out in a couple days, then!"

Kyoya waved his response and continued walking.

* * *

Sleep escaped him that night. After coming home, he rushed to his room, avoiding interaction with his family and even the staff. Now he was staring at the ceiling above his bed. Every so often, he would shift in the vain hope of getting more comfortable, only to throw the pillows and blankets askew. The sheet was halfway off the bed by now, he was sure of it.

Damn that Tamaki. Why did even take the dare? It's just a stupid game, it's not like anyone was _making_ him do it.

And why did Kyoya even care? Not like meant anything. It was just a game. So why did his heart flutter every time he thought of how the kiss felt? Stop that, heart. It was just a game, no need to get worked up about it.

'_No, you liar.'_ A mental voice whispered, _'Don't deny it. Ever since you were in middle school, your heart fluttered a little whenever he smiled at you. When you saw him topless at the physical exam, you couldn't stop yourself from taking a greedy look.'_

Damn it … damn it! It's true! He sat up and held his head in his hands, staring at the blanket in his own shocking realization. Why did that idiot have to go and … kiss him? Now he couldn't get it off of his mind!

"I … I love you." Kyoya breathed, pretending for a split second that Tamaki was sitting next to him again, "I'm sorry. I don't believe it, either, but … I love you."


	3. Chapter 3

Forgive me for if my portrayal of Akito is completely off. I didn't even know his name was mentioned until I did some research (I originally named him Jiro). I've watched the entire Ouran HSHC anime but I've only read a couple chapters of the manga. I know I should probably have read the entire thing before writing this, but again, it's an experiment and the fact is that I had already planned out making him the villain before I even started writing it.

Ryoji/Ranka's fun. Unfortunately, I don't think he'll appear again. He's not really a major part of the story, I just couldn't really have Tamaki living with Haruhi without him knowing it.

Fanfiction is having some weird problems with constant error messages. I don't know if it's my account or my computer or the whole site but in any case, I would have had this chapter posted sooner if not for it. My apologies and thanks as always for reading ^_^

Music theme for chapter – "Shoes" by Kelly

…

Ok, ok, I'm kidding. It's actually "I Write Sins Not Tragedies" by Panic! At The Disco

**CHAPTER 3**

Tamaki silently thanked god that nobody he knew was likely to be in a commoner's department store. It was mortifying enough to have been found in the situation he was in last night, but between Ryoji fawning over whatever outfit he though would look "cute" on Tamaki (regardless of the clothing's intended gender), and having to carry most of the shopping bags (he shouldn't have been surprised that commoners had to carry their own bags, but he was), he was having a whole new experience of the term "shopping". Not that it wasn't a fascinating experience, and there were parts that he enjoyed, but did Haruhi go through this every time she had to buy new clothes? You'd think Mr. Fujioka would be more money-savvy. At least the ill-fitting tennis shoes Ryoji had loaned him were replaced with some comfortable high-tops; much, _much_ better for his still-blistered feet.

The blond was ushered in and out of the changing rooms a few more times before Ryoji glanced at his watch and quickly explained that he liked to greet Haruhi when she came home on his days off. The pair rushed through the check-out line and were home in no time flat. The small car could take side streets much better than a limo could, so Haruhi's father was able to access several short cuts that got them home faster than Tamaki was used to. Upon entering the apartment, the flamboyant father insisted Tamaki try on one of his new outfits to show Haruhi.

One could imagine Haruhi's surprise when she toed off her shoes and called, "I'm home!" only to be greeted by a Tamaki in a light pink dress shirt and jean jacket.

"Welcome back." Tamaki said with a wave.

"That's my line!" Ryoji snapped, stepping in front of Tamaki, and putting on the sweetest face possible, "Welcome back, honey, did you have a good day at school?"

Haruhi stared at the both of them. "You took him shopping, didn't you?"

"Yes. Doesn't he look adorable?"

Haruhi turned to Tamaki, "I'm so sorry you had to deal with that."

"It's quite alright." Tamaki said with another smile.

"You know, you could do for a new wardrobe yourself, dear." Ryoji chimed as Haruhi walked past.

"Thanks but no thanks; I like my clothes the way they are. Oh, Senpai," Haruhi turned halfway down the hallway, "Kyoya-Senpai wants you to call him."

Tamaki's heart jumped at the sound of the name, he turned to Haruhi's father for permission. "Phone's in the living room, dear." He said before turning his attention back to Haruhi, "You know, it wouldn't hurt you to be feminine once in a while."

"Dad, please …" Haruhi said in a tone that made it obvious that this wasn't the first time they had this conversation.

Tamaki, meanwhile, rushed to the living room and hastily dialed Kyoya's number. He sat in front of the end table where the phone charger was, heart pounding nervously up until the moment Kyoya picked up the phone.

"_Hello?"_

"Neko-Kun!" Tamaki said before slapping himself on the forehead for blurting out the pet name that was normally reserved for their private life.

"_Tamaki, where have you been? Why didn't you call me last night?"_

"I didn't have a chance to grab my cell phone before I was kicked out. It's OK, Haruhi's letting me stay with her."

"_That's not the point."_ Kyoya sighed before the sound of brakes screeching was heard.

"Where are you?"

"_The train station. I'll be there in an hour or so."_

"But don't you have classes tomorrow?"

"_I don't care, this is more important!"_ He snapped.

"Kyoya …" Tamaki said, eyes watering a bit, "That's so sweet."

"_Well, if my teachers ask, my grandmother's in the hospital. And if my father asks, there was a gas leak and classes were canceled."_

"Yes, sir!" Tamaki said with a mock salute.

"_Idiot."_ Kyoya muttered under his breath. Tamaki could picture Kyoya pinching the bridge of his nose as he said it just before hanging up the phone.

Haruhi had homework to do, Ryoji set about doing housework, and Tamaki was left to entertain himself with the television until Kyoya came. Mentally, he wished he could do more to pitch in, since everyone seemed to be doing their fair share of house work. Haruhi eventually emerged from her room to tell her father to take a nap (apparently, he had only gotten a few hours of sleep the night prior), but other than that, the activity was pretty mundane.

Right on time, a knock was heard at the door. Tamaki jumped and all but danced to the entryway before Haruhi could even reach the opposite end of the hallway.

"Kyoya!" Tamaki threw open the door and jumped at Kyoya in time for the black-haired teen to step to the side and leave Tamaki falling to the ground. Haruhi greeted him from behind the fallen Tamaki with a wave.

"May I come in?" Kyoya asked.

"Of course. Dad's asleep, though, so don't be too loud."

"Don't worry about me." He said, stepping over his lover to enter the apartment.

Tamaki leapt to his feet and followed Kyoya inside, settling next to him on the couch in a position where he could hug his boyfriend from the side and give him a kiss on the cheek.

"Can I get you anything?" Haruhi asked, being the polite host she usually was.

"Some tea would be lovely, thank you." Kyoya said with a nod. Haruhi retreated to the kitchen. Kyoya lightly swatted Tamaki away with the back of his hand. "Let me guess, your promiscuity is what got you into this mess."

Tamaki rested his forehead on Kyoya's shoulder. "Grandmother was visiting to find out how I was doing with the internship and found out that Hana-Chan was hiding the stains on my bed." He explained with a sigh, "It just sort of came out. We started fighting and she threatened to call the police if I didn't leave."

Kyoya stroked Tamaki's hair soothingly and shifted in this seat so they were both more comfortable with Tamaki clinging to him. "What about your father?" he asked.

"I think Father tried to stop her, but she has too much to hold over him. Knowing her, she might threaten to write him out of her will if he tries anything." Tamaki said with a shrug.

"Are you OK?"

"I'm better now." A shy smile appeared on Tamaki's lips.

Haruhi returned with a mug of tea in each hand and set them down on the coffee table before taking a seat on the armchair next to the couple. "Is there a plan?" she asked, breaking the short but awkward silence.

"Not really." Kyoya confessed, "When I get home, I'll see what my father knows. If he's still in the dark, I'll ask him about getting my own place in Minato and I'll have Tamaki move in with me. But even if he goes for it, it won't happen until January at the earliest."

"What if he knows?"

Haruhi's question hung in the air like a damp cloth, leaving Kyoya to simply shrug.

"Well, Tamaki-Senpai, you're more than welcome to stay here until you get things figured out." Haruhi barely finished her sentence when she was practically glomped by an overjoyed Tamaki. "Haruhi, you're the best!" he sang, nuzzling her cheek gratefully.

"I see how I rate." Kyoya teased, feigning jealousy.

"But, Neko-Kun, you know I love you." Tamaki's attention diverted right back to Kyoya, flashing his boyfriend the infamous puppy eyes.

Haruhi couldn't hold back a laugh at watching the two play around. The troubles they were facing still loomed over them, and she couldn't shake the feeling that things would get worse before they got better, but seeing the two together reminded her of how strong they could both be in the right setting, especially when they were together.

* * *

After spending a while catching up with Tamaki and Haruhi, Kyoya tried to enter his house quietly, knowing his family would have finished with dinner by now. A maid made a sound of surprise upon spotting him walk through the main hall and quickly ran towards him to greet him with a bow.

"What a surprise, Kyoya-Sama. May I take your bag?" she said.

Kyoya handed his backpack to the maid and thanked her. Mostly, it contained books and homework; he kept a majority of his clothes here at home. "Classes were canceled today, and I wanted to talk to my father about something, so I thought I'd drop by for a visit."

"I'm sure you're more than welcome to, sir, but Yoshio-Sama is away on business. He won't be home until Tuesday."

Kyoya hid a frown of disappointment, but figured it may be a good thing his father was away. It meant he had yet to come running home in shock over finding out about his son's relationship with another man. After having the maid drop his bag off in his room, he settled down at his desk to squeeze in a little bit of homework before turning in. His mind was still on Tamaki's situation, though, so his attention went in-between Calculus and seeing how long he could balance the pencil on the tip of his finger. This was amazingly entertaining until he felt a light object hit the back of his head.

"A ball of paper? _Real_ mature, Akito." He said, swiveling around in his chair to face one of his elder brothers.

"Read it." The second-oldest Ootori son smirked from the doorway. Though he sported a robe and looked ready to go to bed, he still wore his long black hair tied into a ponytail, giving him the overall appearance of a real jerk.

Kyoya picked the paper up from next to his chair and uncrumpled it to discover the word "fag" scrawled across the center in black marker. Trying to ignore the pang of anxiety and guilt that he felt upon reading it, he leaned back in his chair and rested his head in his palm. "Is this supposed to mean something or have you resorted to name-calling now?" he sighed, tossing the paper in the trash bin.

Akito smirked again. "Shizue Suoh called this morning." He said.

"Is that so?" Kyoya returned to his math homework, turning his back to his brother and putting pencil to paper.

"Yes, she wanted to talk to Father but I told her he had left this morning, so she gave me a message to deliver."

"Mm-hmm." Kyoya punched a quick formula into his calculator.

"She wanted to warn him that his youngest son was having an affair with her grandson."

The tip of Kyoya's pencil snapped off.

"So it's true?"

Kyoya jumped from his chair. "Tamaki's been through enough, you breathe a word to Father …" he snapped, before trailing off at the sound of Akito's laughter.

"Or _what_? You're on borrowed time as it is." He laughed, "Relax, _Bozu_, I never had any intention of telling Dad. Just keep this in mind the next time you try to show me up."


	4. Chapter 4: Autumn Days

I'm in a love-hate relationship with this chapter. Though I still feel it's somewhat necessary. I wish I could have found a better way to introduce Hana, her Napoleon complex is clearer when she's not trying to be professional.

And on that note, say hello to the first of two OC's that get to play semi-important roles. Unless you count Akito, but I think he's one of those weird Canon-OC hybrids.

In case you didn't notice, I have a bit of a thing for minor characters. Hence Ritsu's semi-frequent appearances ^^". I really wish I had the opportunity to put Nekozawa in here, too.

This chapter is a flashback.

* * *

Music theme for chapter – "The Beat Dies" by The Raveonettes

**CHAPTER 4 – AUTUMN DAYS**

"The Host Club is open for business!"

Tamaki's voice sang to the crowd of girls as he flung the door to Music Room 3 open. The group of hosts, some old faces and some new, chimed a "Welcome" in greeting. Tamaki bowed to the women as they filed in. "There is no theme today, but we do have something very special. For only 2,000 yen, you can receive a kiss from your favorite host." He explained as they walked past him to take their seats.

Kyoya stood to the side, scribbling down each guest's name in his notebook. He smirked a little when he saw Haruhi sigh at the first girl to slip some yen notes into the brunette host's pocket. Haruhi had been worried that 2,000 yen was a bit pricey for a mere kiss, but, as Kyoya had predicted, the women were more than happy to fork over the cash for a quick peck on the cheek.

Ristu, now a second-year with Haruhi and the twins, was a bit hesitant to participate (Kyoya suspected he still harbored a crush on Haruhi). It had been hard for him to keep his tough reputation after joining the Host Club, but he managed to, and the girls went _wild_ over it. He also, contrary to appearances, was very good with math. Kyoya had chosen him as a candidate to take over the club's financial obligations at the end of this year.

Mamoru was the newest member. Just as Ritsu had taken on Mori's former position in the club, Mamoru had taken on Honey's. The first-year student lacked Honey's taste for sweets, but made up for it with a love of board games and amusement parks. And a little grooming gave him an appearance that was almost as cute as Honey's. Tamaki had run across the little black-haired, blue-eyed student during the summer, made a joke that he looked like he and Kyoya's "love child", and within seconds, Mamoru had earned a spot in the club.

Hikaru and Karou were being themselves as usual. One of their favorite activities these days was picking on Ritsu, knowing Ritsu didn't like showing bursts of anger in front of Haruhi. It came as little surprise when Kyoya spotted one girl offering to pay double if they would kiss each other instead of her.

Then … Tamaki. Kyoya scowled a little, watching the blond teen scamper from guest-to-guest trying to appease each of them. He hadn't gotten a wink of sleep the night after their beach party. When he finally thought the conflicts in his mind were resolving, summer ended and school restarted, and Tamaki waltzed around acting like nothing happened. Kyoya went right back to being robbed of sleep. School had been in about a month now and the dark-haired teen could swear he was getting no more than three or four hours a night.

"Kyoya-Senpai, you're being requested."

SNAP! Kyoya's pencil broke at the sound of Haruhi's voice. He kept staring at his notebook paper, trying to pull himself back to earth.

"Senpai? Anyone in there?" a hand waved in front of his face. Oh … Haruhi was standing right next to him. Kyoya plastered on a friendly smile, "Tell the ladies I'll be there in a moment."

With a nod and a respectful bow, she was off to deliver the message. Kyoya gave one last glance to Tamaki before tucking the broken pencil behind his ear and joining the women who wanted him.

By the end of the day, the money the club made was about what Kyoya expected (and twice what everyone else expected). Haruhi, Tamaki, and Kyoya were left to clean up once the club had closed, but Haruhi worked quickly and left quickly, saying something about having to make dinner. This left Kyoya to do some budgeting on his laptop and Tamaki to chat up a storm about what the Host Club should do during their last year of high school.

"As our final party before graduation, we should hold an early summer festival. Everyone will wear kimonos, and we'll pass out sparklers and fireworks and serve yakitori." He rambled, leaving his friend to only half-listen.

"Slow down a little, it's not even the end of fall yet." Kyoya sighed and shut his laptop, "Plus, I'll probably be busy packing then. If you want, we can meet up at your estate tomorrow and discuss some more practical plans."

"Oh, right, you were accepted into Keio University, weren't you?" Tamaki said, rising to watch Kyoya slip the laptop into his bookbag.

"Yes. Why, aren't you going to college?"

He shook his head, "Father wants me to intern at his company for a year so I can learn to take over once he and Grandmother are gone. I'll start business school part-time after that, but I'll still be working for him in the meantime."

"So your grandmother finally decided to pass the estate to you?"

"No." he laughed falling into pace beside Kyoya as the two began walking towards the door, "She still doesn't like me, but Father is confident I'll win her over if I show her I can work hard."

Tamaki quickened his pace until he was a few steps ahead of Kyoya and then swiveled around on the balls of his feet to face the dark-eyed entrepreneur. Kyoya, who had been staring at his shoes up until now, looked up and opened his mouth to reply only to walk directly into Tamaki's welcoming lips. Kyoya's eyes widened and then closed like the last time, but if the thought crossed his mind to pull away from the kiss, he didn't get a chance to when the blond buried his fingers into the mass of black hair and deepened the kiss. His mind didn't clear itself of the fog it was in until Tamaki slipped a few yen notes into his hand and then left the room.

Kyoya gripped the bills and scowled once Tamaki was gone. _'Damn it, Tamaki! Is this a game to you?'_ He cursed within his own mind. "I'm not one of your lady friends you can court and leave and I'm not some fool you can just toy around with! What is your _problem_?" He shouted in vain, knowing too well that his friend was well out of hearing range.

* * *

Tamaki tried to wrap his mind around what was happening. It seemed to be happening so fast, he couldn't recall ever being this confused. Worst of all, he was pretty sure Kyoya was mad at him. He left before his friend could yell to his face, but he still heard the muffled shout after he left the room even though he was too far away to make out the words.

He had gotten home and immediately started staring at the ceiling above his bed. Risked his friendship for a kiss, great … No, forget "risked", it was probably ruined by now. He just wanted to know what it felt like again. He figured one more kiss wouldn't hurt.

A maid's voice broke his train of thought, "Tamaki-Sama? If you're busy, I can come back later."

Sapphire eyes wandered to the red-haired woman standing next to his bed with a laundry basket. "No, Hana-Chan, it's fine. But I thought you already changed the bedding." He said, sitting upright and moving off the bed.

"I did, Sir, but Kita-San was behind on the laundry earlier so I had to improvise. These blankets match the curtains better." She explained before setting to work stripping the bed, "Sorry if it's a hassle."

"It's fine." He replied. He stuck his hands in his pockets and stared out the window while the small woman went to work. "Hana-Chan, may I ask you something?" he asked, leaning against one of the bedposts.

"That would depend on what you're asking, Sir. I don't think it's a maid's place to give advice."

"Then pretend you're not a maid for a second and just be yourself."

He didn't miss the smirk that appeared on her face when she responded, "You don't want me to do that, Tamaki-Sama. I put on quite a different face when I work."

Hana finished tucking in the new blanket and smoothed it out. "Then … try to at least be polite?" Tamaki tried, leaning over the bed with his elbows resting on the new bedding.

Her smirk widened as she leaned over from the other side of the bed, head resting in her palm, "Well, if you're asking me, you must be desperate, so shoot."

Tamaki took a breath. He felt his face turn slightly hot while he tried to find the words he was looking for.

"What? You've got a crush?" Hana asked, raising an eyebrow in response to the long silence. He felt his blush deepen at her words. "Called it." She laughed, grinning when he looked away, "So what's the big deal? Afraid she doesn't like you?"

"He-" Tamaki began, but stopped when he realized what had slipped out of his mouth. He looked up quickly, worried about what her reaction would be. Seeing only a curiosity as to what he was trying to say, he swallowed hard and continued, "I don't think he likes me in that way."

"How do you know until you ask?"

"I don't know what he believes. He's never commented when the twins get affectionate, but I don't think any of us take them seriously, he knows it's just a show they put on."

"Mm-hmm." She hummed in understanding.

"It feels right when we're together." He continued, "I don't think friends are supposed to feel this way about each other."

"Is that you or your grandmother talking?" The red-haired woman stated bluntly. Tamaki's eyes widened, surprised at her straightforwardness, "If you're asking me, it sounds like love."

He stood up suddenly, feeling his heart pound against his ribcage at the mention of the word.

"You don't have too look like you're going to piss yourself, you told me to be myself." She continued, "Your grandmother's not all-knowing and neither am I, but if you're asking me, I'd say your feelings are perfectly normal."

"It's not wrong?"

"I couldn't say for sure, nor could anyone else." She sighed, standing up and retrieving the basket she had carried in, "But if it feels right, it feels right, right?"

He looked to the floor. It did feel right. Whenever Kyoya looked at him, and on the rare occasion he smiled, the blond felt on top of the world. Kissing him today felt wonderful … amazing. Every inch of him screamed that he should do it again.

"And if weather or not your feelings are returned is what you're really worried about," She continued as she stepped towards the door, "I'd say the best thing to do is just let him know how much you care and let come what may."


	5. Chapter 5

Tamaki's a dork. And I'm glad nobody has openly screamed "objection" at Hana (yet ... I'm waiting). There's at least one more OC who will come into play before this is over, I hope both he and Hana are at least tolerable.

This is me safely admitting that Wendy Pini's portrayal of antagonists has not affected my life in any way … -shiftyeyes-

Music theme for chapter –"Don't Stop Dancing" by Creed

**CHAPTER 5**

The Saturday following Kyoya's visit was another shopping experience with a member of the Fujioka family. Haruhi had tried to assure Tamaki that he could stay home if he wished, but Tamaki couldn't shake the guilt he felt when Haruhi and Ryoji worked and he didn't. The least he could do is help Haruhi with chores, maybe even get a job. He figured, if he could get used to living like a commoner, Kyoya might not have to worry about his father. With his own income, Tamaki could rent an apartment and Kyoya could visit whenever he pleased.

"You're unusually quiet today." Haruhi voiced, pulling Tamaki from his thoughts.

"Mmhmm, thinking." He said with a smile, earning a small smile from Haruhi in response. After seeing Kyoya, Tamaki's voice had regained some of its cheerful, musical quality, leading her to believe that he was starting to get back on his feet.

"About what?" she asked, happy to engage in conversation during her normally solo shopping trip.

"If I could get a job, Kyoya wouldn't have to worry as much about me. I could get a place of my own."

Haruhi nearly dropped the flour she was holding in a combination of shock and resisting the urge to burst out laughing. "_You_? Working? You're serious, you mean like an average, day-to-day 'commoner'."

He pouted a bit at seeing her obvious amusement over the statement. "Why not? I was working for Father's up company until this week. Only difference is that I'll get paid. It'll be like in those movies where the loyal, hard worker claws his way to the top." He mused aloud.

She pushed the shopping cart up to the cash register with a sigh of chagrin. "Not quite, Senpai, but if you're serious, I have some friends that can help."

While Haruhi loaded the groceries onto the conveyer belt, Tamaki's eyes travelled to the figure at the opposite end of the cash register, where a dark red-haired woman was leaning over the counter to socialize with the cashier. "Hana-Chan?" Tamaki's eyes widened at the woman, hardly able to recognize her out of uniform.

"Tamaki-Sama!" Hana's short hair bobbed up and down as she habitually stood upright in his presence, daring a delighted smile at seeing her former employer, "How are you?"

"As well as can be expected." He answered with a shrug, moving past where Haruhi was fishing out her wallet to stand next to the former maid of the Suoh household, "Sorry, it's my fault you got caught."

"But you were fired because of it!"

She shrugged, "I should have seen it coming, especially after I snapped like that. Between you and me, I was doing a half-assed job on the dusting. A buddy of mine hooked me up with a job here." She grinned and tapped the nametag pinned to her apron, "I still feel bad, though. Shizue-Sama had already pieced a lot together from the gossip around the estate; I just couldn't duck to the laundry room before she spotted me."

Having paid, Haruhi gathered up the shopping bags and looked up at Tamaki. "If you two want to catch up, I can meet you at the apartment later." She said.

"No, I'll help you carry the bags." Tamaki replied, taking some of the groceries from her load, "By the way, Hana, this is Haruhi Fujioka. Haruhi, this is Hana Hasegawa."

"Nice to meet you, heard good things about you." Hana bowed politely, while Haruhi tried her best to bow while not spilling her purchases out of their paper bags. "Nice to meet you, too." The brunette said.

"I should probably get back to work anyway. Swing by sometime, I'm not going anywhere." Hana added with a wave before walking off to return to her job.

* * *

Kyoya's cell phone was sitting, unused, on his desk. Every few minutes, the Ootori boy would pick it up and put it back down again. Occasionally, he would flip it open and his finger would hover over the button for his contacts list before he flipped it shut and set it down again.

He sighed. Akito had him living like a caged animal. The second-oldest Ootori boy lacked the grades of his two brothers - he didn't have the same discipline they did. But he made up for it with social standing – he had _connections_. And he knew damn well how to use them.

That was why, though the temptation was great, Kyoya couldn't risk a call to Tamaki right now. Akito didn't need any more dirt than he already had. Imagine him getting to tell their Father that his youngest son not only was gay, but that the affair was going on right under his nose.

"Inner conflicts?" A voice from behind him sneered.

"What do you want?" Kyoya said with a slight groan, swiveling in his chair only to nearly jump out of his skin upon spotting Akito two feet away from him. "And don't come in without knocking." He added.

Akito smirked, "If you want to call your boyfriend, I won't stop you."

"So you can eavesdrop?" he scoffed, "I don't think so."

"Dear, _dear_ brother, you know me better than that."

"Then why are you holding this against me?" Kyoya stood and tucked his hands into his pockets, trying his best to keep a cool head and an even voice, "I don't have an inheritance to sign over. You and Taro are still getting everything. What do you have to gain?"

"I told you, keep this in mind the next time you try to show me up."

Kyoya's eyes narrowed, "The only thing I manage to 'show you up' on is a higher Grade Point Average. Do you plan to drop out of IUJ before you even start or something?"

Akito's cocky, mischievous smirk morphed into a scowl. "I should out you just for that, but I'm feeling generous." He turned on his heels to leave, calling out a last warning to his brother before exiting the room, "I might just work my magic for the hell of it, though. I'm sure Father's not the only person you want to keep from knowing about your little bum-chum."

* * *

Despite nearly burning the apartment down with his attempted cooking, by the time Monday rolled around, Tamaki was actually proud of himself for learning so much about living outside the lap of luxury. He had insisted Haruhi teach him everything she knew about living as a commoner, to which she gave him another blank stare of skepticism before a combination of puppy eyes and promises to help with housework tipped the scale in his favor.

With Ryoji at work and Haruhi at school, Tamaki decided to take Hana up on her offer to have the two catch up. The days were getting colder and both were forced to wear thick jackets in favor of the fast-approaching winter.

"You smoke?" Tamaki asked, raising an eyebrow in surprise as the pair hung out in front of the store during Hana's lunch break.

"Sorry, I can put it out of it bothers you." Hana said, lightly pinching the freshly-lit cigarette between her index and middle finger.

"No, I just didn't know you smoked."

"Damned expensive habit. Don't follow my example." She sighed after taking a quick drag.

Tamaki set his hands behind his head and leaned against the store's concrete wall, deciding now would be a good time to stare at the sky. "What have you been up to?" he asked.

"I moved in with a friend until I can save up enough for a deposit on my own place. Otherwise, not much. You?"

"Haruhi's letting me stay with her for now, but I want to get a job, too."

Hana clasped a hand over her mouth to avoid giggling. In spite of her efforts, a quick snicker managed to sneak through.

"Why do people keep laughing when I say that?" Tamaki asked, glancing down at her. Despite being older, Hana was about six inches shorter than Tamaki. She wasn't joking when she once told him that she put on a different face when working. While having been a diligent and polite maid in her time, outside of work, she wasn't afraid to poke fun at people and had a bit of a sailor's mouth to go with it.

"As noble as your intentions are, I find it damned hard to picture you with a blue-collar job." She confessed with a grin.

Tamaki's eyes returned to the clouds, but not before a quick and subtle pout escaped his lips. He was sure he could hold down a blue-collar job if he set his mind to it. "I know Kyoya's worried about me right now." He continued, "He's probably going to call every night for the next week. If I started living on my own, he wouldn't worry as much. School has him stressed out enough, is his grades start to slip, it will be my fault."

Hana extinguished the last of her cigarette on the bottom of her shoe. "Shizue-Sama's loss when she kicked you out, Tamaki-Sama." She said with a shake of her head, "Kyoya's more than lucky to have you."


	6. Chapter 6: Autumn Days, Part 2

I have nothing to say here except, well ... use protection in real life. The only reason they don't is because I couldn't think of a good reason as to why Kyoya would carry a condom in his wallet.

Thanks for reading as always :)

This chapter is a flashback.

Music theme for chapter – "To Sir with Love" by Lulu. Again, Glee does a pretty neat cover of it.

**CHAPTER 6 – AUTUMN DAYS, PART 2**

Kyoya sauntered into the Suoh second estate after spending another sleepless night with his own thoughts. This morning, his elder sister and his driver had both expressed concern over the dark circles under his eyes, but he quickly assured them it was nothing to be worried about. The little, short-haired maid who had answered the door led him up the stairs to Tamaki's room. Hard to believe he lived here by himself while his father and grandmother lived in the main estate. What did he do to occupy himself in this large house? Oh, that's right; he spent his free time bugging Kyoya.

His sleep-deprived brain barely registered everything in Tamaki's bedroom, but he managed to spot his blue-eyed friend skimming a book on a couch at the far side of the room. The maid who had opened the door for him bowed politely and asked if there was anything else she could do.

"That's quite alright, Hana-Chan. Why don't you take a break? I'll call if we need anything." Tamaki said with a smile and a dismissing wave. Hana thanked him and gave a quick bow to Kyoya before shutting the door behind her. With another wave, Tamaki beckoned for his friend to sit next to him. Once at the couch, Kyoya wasted no time in whipping out his laptop and setting it on the coffee table before him. Get to work, get to work … that's the only way he was going to keep his mind off things.

Damn, did the computer always take this long to boot up?

He felt a gentle hand place itself over one of the balled-up fists on his lap. "You look tired. If you want to lie down for a while, we can always do this later." Tamaki said with concern.

Kyoya tensed a little at the feel of his friend touching him, but couldn't will himself to pull his hand away. He could barely hear his own thoughts over the nervous pounding in his chest. "What am I to you?" he whispered, not taking his eyes off the coffee table.

Tamaki raised an eyebrow at the sudden, unexpected question. "You're my friend, of course." he said with a smile after a moment of tension-thick silence.

"No, I mean seriously!" he snapped, "Mori is your friend, Honey is your friend, Haruhi is your friend, Hikaru and Karou are your friends! You have a ton of friends but you don't treat any of them the same way you treat me! What the hell am I to you?"

Tamaki snatched his hand away from Kyoya's, his eyes widening with sudden realization of the dark-haired boy's words. "I'd rather not say." He confessed breathlessly, looking to the floor.

Annoyed by his friend's dodging of the question, Kyoya grabbed Tamaki by the shirt collar and pulled him so he was only an inch away from his face. "Do you think this is a game!" he shouted, "Do you think you can just play around with my feelings? What is wrong with you?"

Tamaki's eyes widened at the unexpected outburst of anger, but after a moment, he smiled and cupped Kyoya's cheeks in his hands, spanning the gap between them for a quick kiss that effectively calmed the brown-eyed boy and loosened the grip he had on his friend's shirt. "That's what you wanted, isn't it? Why didn't you just say so?" Tamaki chuckled a little at the bewildered expression on Kyoya's face, "You _are_ tired, aren't you?"

A delicate hand led Kyoya to the king-sized bed on the opposite side of the room. The same hands removed his glasses, set them on the nightstand, and encouraged him to lay town with a gentle push. It took Kyoya no more than a second to grab Tamaki's wrist under the realization that he didn't want to be alone. A quick tug had the blond toppling onto the bed next to Kyoya, who gravitated them both towards the center for more room before leaning over Tamaki to steal a kiss of his own. Kyoya swung a leg over Tamaki so he was straddling the blond's hips, his hands reaching for the buttons of Tamaki's shirt. Before he knew what they were doing, Kyoya's hands had undone Tamaki's shirt from top to bottom and were caressing the self-proclaimed king's chest.

To Tamaki's disappointment, Kyoya pulled away from the kissing and removed his hand from the smooth, pale skin. "Sorry." Kyoya choked, biting his lower lip, "I don't know what I'm doing."

Tamaki took Kyoya's hand in his and kissed it with a knowing smile. "You're too tense." He said, trailing kisses along Kyoya's hand and arm, then up his shoulder and neck and finally meeting the dark-haired boy's lips with his own, "Lose yourself for once. Do whatever you feel you should be doing." With that, he replaced the the hand on his chest before reaching for the hem of Kyoya's t-shirt and pulling it over the black-haired teen's head. The unwanted piece of clothing tossed aside, the blond leaned back against the mattress again and Kyoya returned to feeling Tamaki's chest, eliciting a gasp from the sapphire-eyed boy when his hand brushed against a nipple.

Gaining a little more confidence at the small mews of pleasure whenever his hand found a particularly sensitive area, Kyoya slipped his free hand in-between Tamaki's legs. Feeling the legs part willingly, Kyoya couldn't hold back a smirk as he ran a hand along the inside of Tamaki's thigh and paused in the middle to notice a slight bulge.

Undoing Tamaki's pants, Kyoya slipped a hand inside the silk boxers and checked on the hardened length beneath. He earned a twitch and a slight bucking motion in response to the increased stimulation. In a few quick motions, Kyoya swept away Tamaki's jeans and boxers before removing his own pants. Both teens blushed at their mutual nudity before Kyoya's eyes made contact with Tamaki's. Understanding the unspoken question, Tamaki fumbled around in the nightstand until his hand made contact with a bottle of lotion.

After being handed the bottle, Kyoya leaned over Tamaki and began kissing him again. Tamaki returned the kissing, but froze for a moment when he felt a pair of lotion-slick fingers enter him. Just when he had begun to relax again, Kyoya found the sweet spot that nobody had ever touched before. "Kyoya." He moaned with a shudder of pleasure.

Kyoya teased that secret spot again, earning another shiver from Tamaki. He positioned himself between Tamaki's legs and claimed the blond's lips and body in one swift motion. Tamaki wrapped his arms around Kyoya and the two began moving together. He had never felt such a sensual mix of pain and pleasure as Kyoya found his sweet zone with each thrust. In an effort to bring them closer together, Tamaki wrapped his legs around Kyoya's waist.

Kyoya soon discovered Tamaki liked things hard and fast and increased the speed of his thrusts, urging the blond into his climax. With a primal scream, Tamaki's entire body spasmed and tightened, allowing Kyoya to climax alongside him. The sensation of warmth was followed by Kyoya collapsing and panting on top of Tamaki.

Tamaki smiled and kissed the top of Kyoya's head before rolling the two over onto their sides. Kyoya blinked a few times in an effort to stay conscious but finally cuddled up against Tamaki's chest and surrendered to his urge to sleep. A happy, though admittedly sore Tamaki pulled a blanket over the couple and held his new lover closer before losing his own battle to stay awake.

* * *

"Mm …" Kyoya groaned in objection once he realized he couldn't sleep anymore. He was answered by a few light kisses on the cheek. Allowing his eyes to crack open, he tried to focus on the face in front of him but couldn't make out very many details without his glasses.

"You can't see very well, can you?"

Kyoya shook his head.

Tamaki plucked the glasses from his nightstand and placed them on Kyoya's nose. "There. That's better. But you look very handsome without glasses, have you considered contacts?" he said, smiling.

Kyoya slipped his hands around Tamaki's hips and pulled him over for a kiss. "You talk too much." He said before wrapping his arms around the blond's slim torso and resting his forehead against a shoulder.

After a moment of blissful silence, Kyoya spoke the question on his mind in a voice just above a whisper, "Now what am I to you?"

"My boyfriend?" Tamaki answered with a grin.

"No, be serious."

"I am serious, Kyo-Kun." Tamaki let out a light laugh and buried his nose into Kyoya's hair, "I love you."

"And just when did you figure this out?" Kyoya muttered and raised his head, dark brown eyes meeting ocean-blue ones skeptically.

Tamaki answered by touching his nose against Kyoya's in a soft Eskimo kiss, "Yesterday, after I kissed you again. You love me, too right?"

"Of course I love you, you idiot."

The blond's smile widened at hearing the answer he was fishing for, "And when did _you_ figure this out?"

Kyoya shrugged, "Last summer? Maybe? I think part of me has always known, I just didn't want to admit it."

"You should have said something sooner."

"I wasn't sure if you'd understand. And I'm not ready to tell anyone." The raven-haired Ootori took refuge under Tamaki's chin and held his new lover a little closer, showing obvious fear towards the situation.

"Relax." Tamaki soothed, patting his back, "You and I are the only one's who have been in here. Hana-Chan's the only one who might suspect something, and she already knows how I feel about you, she won't tell a soul."


	7. Chapter 7

FFFFFFFFFFFF-midterms week. Lucky you guys I write my chapters in advance.

Time for more focus on Kyoya. But wave hello to the second OC, who's first name is a pain in the butt to type out. Let's see if anyone catches my SamBakZa reference.

Thanks as always for your awesome reviews and just for being present to witness my writing and occasional idiocy.

Music theme for chapter – "Sam-cha Seong-jing" by T. (It's in Korean, IM or e-mail me if you want a translation)

**CHAPTER 7**

Over the next couple weeks, Kyoya's life seemed to fall back into a regular routine. Wake up, breakfast, school, lunch, more school, homework, dinner, more homework. He made a point of calling Tamaki every evening, but his mind was put at ease more and more with each passing day. Haruhi proved just how resourceful she could be when she pulled a few strings and managed to get Tamaki a job at a pharmacy. "The work is actually pretty boring," he had explained at one time, "Mostly just restocking shelves and taking inventory. But Maki-Sensei is so interesting! He studied abroad for his medical degree, he knows so much about diseases, it's actually really fun to talk to him."

Receiving the phone call from his father was the most interesting point of his week. Apparently, Yoshio Ootori had received a call of his own earlier this week: all Kyoya had to do was pass finals just before winter break and he would be at the top of his class. What surprised the dark-haired entrepreneur was the unusual amount of pride Yoshio had in his voice when he called to inform his son of this development. Just when he thought it might have been a good time to ask his sire about getting a place outside of the University dormitories, he reminded himself of Akito's warning.

"Remember this next time you try to show me up"? Kyoya wracked his brain for a way to wiggle his way out of this one, but was finding few answers, making it very difficult to concentrate on the textbook he was supposed to be studying. On a walk back to his dorm, he reviewed a few chapters of interest from his Economy book. Almost every minute of his spare time this past week had been dedicated to studying. After all, your hands don't usually do anything while you're walking; why not shove a book in them? Cold fingers were a small price to pay in exchange for being prepared for a test.

What stood out the most wasn't his father's call or his brother's threats. He hadn't missed the whispers and giggles that were occasionally directed at him when he was in class or walking through campus. Gossip was a common occurrence of day-to-day life, especially when your family was as high on the social ladder as the Ootori clan. He had even recognized a few of the loudmouths as former Ouran students; one was even a customer of the Host club in her day. He usually didn't concern himself with gossip unless he could find solid facts to back it up, but it still made him wonder what was being spread about him this time.

Kyoya had to stop in his tracks and his reading when his neck suddenly felt very cold. He shut his book and turned around to find the perpetrator who had snatched his scarf.

"You're getting slow, Kyo-Chan." Honey giggled from next to where Mori was waving the green scarf.

Kyoya tucked his text book under his arm and took his scarf back. "You're back in town." He said, draping the scarf over his white coat.

"Until New Year's!" Honey chimed with delight, "We were going to head straight home, but this was on the way, so we thought we'd drop by and say 'hi'!"

Kyoya sighed, the full knowledge that he wasn't going to finish his studying bearing down on him. Leave it to one of his friends to make catching up a perfectly justifiable excuse to neglect one's homework.

"What's up?" The blond-haired former Host asked, seating himself at a nearby street bench. His ever-silent cousin moved to stand behind the it, leaning over the back with apparent interest at whatever Kyoya had to say.

Kyoya took his seat at the opposite side of the bench. Honey and Mori would find out everything that had been going on when they visited Haruhi anyway, and as friends, they deserved to know, but … where to begin?

"Where were you planning to go after this?" He asked, ultimately dodging the question in favor of finding an easier way to explain the current situation.

"We were just going to go home and unpack, maybe visit Ouran and see how everyone is doing if there's time, then visit Tama-Chan where he's working afterwards."

"I wouldn't bother with that." The university student said with a slight cough, "Tamaki's not working for his father anymore, his grandmother threw him out a few weeks ago."

"Why'd she do that?" Honey's head tilted with curiosity until he took notice of the serious look Kyoya was giving him. "Oh …" His face lowered. His feelings towards Tamaki's grandmother were never made a secret, but he never imagined her to be quite so cruel.

Several things happened within the next two seconds that left Kyoya with a feeling nothing short of stupefaction. He didn't even have time to register the movement behind him until he saw Mori grab an unknown figure. The assailant let out a cry of pain when his arm was held behind his back and Mori had him pinned to the ground with one knee in the small of his back.

"Ow! Lemme go, you lunatic!" The stranger cried, unable to struggle against it when Mori reached into his pocket and revealed a small switchblade.

"What's this?" Mori asked, holding the knife in front of the pinned man's face.

"I was going to mug him or something, I don't know!" His eyes strained to look where Kyoya was now standing after jumping up in a start when he had appeared. Honey draped himself over the back of the bench, looking curious as to the newcomer's words but virtually void of shock and showing very little confusion.

"He's a petty thief, let him go." Kyoya said.

"No, he's lying."

"Oh? How can you tell?"

"Takashi is really good at picking up lies. He's like a cop on one of those TV shows." Honey put in.

Mori bent the man's arm against the uncomfortable angle it was already being held at, earning a yelp of pain. "Ow! OK, OK, I bet a couple of my friends we could teach the fag a lesson. I wasn't going to use the knife, I just had it on me in case he fought back."

Kyoya's eyes narrowed momentarily, but he managed to keep a calm demeanor. "Where did you hear that?" he asked slowly, the words coming out cold enough to match air around them.

"I don't know! I heard about it yesterday, but I guess the rumors have been flying around for at least a week and a half!"

The Keio University student took a deep breath before turning to his friend that had the perpetrator pinned down, "Let him go, Mori. I won't waste my time with someone who attacks over gossip." He sighed, pushing his glasses up on his nose.

Mori revealed a somewhat skeptical look, but released his hold on the man. The attacker scrambled to his feet and booked it before Mori could even stand up straight and dust off his coat.

"Kyo-Chan, where are you going?" Honey called to Kyoya when his friend turned to leave.

"Back to my dorm, I've got a lot of studying to do. I'll be off for break in about a week."

"What are you going to do?"

Kyoya shrugged, "There's nothing I can do. I've got some homework to put a dent in before my evening class. Why don't you visit Ouran before the day's over?"

* * *

Dr. Yasashiku Maki was the sort of disorganized, unshaven man who was the last person you'd expect to be your doctor. His genius made him capable of great thinking, but his tendency to leave things unorderly was supposedly what kept him from a higher-paying job. However, if you asked him, he would repeatedly make it clear that he enjoyed running a small pharmacy as opposed to working for a large medical company. He was also one of the few doctors that still made housecalls - usually leaving an assistant in charge of the pharmacy while he was gone.

On one of the pharmacy's slower days, his newest assistant had already cleaned and organized the entire store. With no customers in sight, Tamaki had taken to peeking over Dr. Maki's shoulder while he did work.

"What are you doing?"

"Ordering some Citrucel, we're almost out." Dr. Maki said without missing a beat in his typing.

"What's it do?" Tamaki took a seat on the chair next to him.

"It's just a fiber supplement, not that interesting." The doctor chuckled.

"So it's like Metamucil?"

"Right, except it's more expensive and supposedly has fewer side effects." A few more clicks of his mouse and Yasashiku had finished the order and turned to Tamaki with a smile. "You have an amazing memory for this sort of thing. Have you considered a medical degree?" he asked, recalling several times since he had started working when the blond-haired boy would get curious and ask nonstop questions.

"Not really. I like helping people but I never really thought about choosing my own career." Tamaki confessed with a shrug. He was supposed to take over the Suoh estate the second his grandmother and father retired. Naturally, he never selected a future career because he never really had a choice in the matter.

"And you're working for an old goat like me? Come on, kid, you have your whole life ahead of you."

"'Tamaki Suoh, MD' does have a nice ring to it." He rested his chin in his hand with a somewhat dreamy expression on his face.

"That's the spirit." Yasashiku winked, "Ah that reminds me …"he rummaged through his desk drawer and emerged with a sealed white envelope, "I've got your first paycheck."

"Thank you, Sensei." Tamaki took the envelope, his expression brightening.

"You're a hard-working kid, you earned it. Any big plans for the holidays?"

"No, not really."

"You should spend time with your significant other. I know I'm going to spoil my wife rotten on Christmas Eve."

"Er, I … How did you …" Tamaki stammered.

"I just assumed you were dating that nice Fujioka girl." Yasashiku said, looking up from his work for a moment to raise an eyebrow at Tamaki.

"No." Tamaki looked down, internally debating weather or not to reveal himself. "My boyfriend is named Kyoya Ootori." He muttered quickly, deciding there wasn't much Dr. Maki could do if he knew.

"Not Ootori as in Ootori Medical Group?" Yasashiku tore his eyes from the computer screen in surprise.

"Yeah, that's the one."

The doctor put a hand over his mouth to stifle his reaction but, before long, burst out in a hearty laugh. "Oh, man, I do business with them all the time! I had no idea!" he chuckled.

"You're not going to tell anyone, are you? He would kill me!"

The doctor calmed his laughter long enough to look Tamaki in the face (though he was still grinning), "Relax, kid, I'm not a gossip. I could care less, I just wasn't expecting that."

"Thank you, Sensei."

"Sure, sure." Yasashiku let out one last chortle before returning to his work, "And if you can pull his away from his family for a couple hours, I still think you should spent some time with him. Why don't you knock off early and do some Christmas shopping?"

"Really?" Tamaki smiled.

"Yeah, it's a slow day, get out of here." Yasashiku said with a wave of his hand.

Tamaki hopped off the chair and grabbed his coat, exiting the room with a polite bow. "Thank you, Sensei. I'll see you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow."


	8. Chapter 8: Winter Morning

Happy Halloween. I wrote you smut. Enjoy.

This chapter is a flashback.

Music theme for chapter – "Here (In Your Arms)" by Hellogoodbye

**CHAPTER 8 – WINTER MORNING**

The set-up was perfect. They couldn't have asked for it to be more perfect. Tamaki, due to his grandmother's dislike of him, lived in the second estate by himself. Kyoya's father approved of his son having a close friend that would help him study, and would also accept the fact that they needed to make plans for the Host Club as a legitimate excuse for Kyoya to visit Tamaki.

Of course, opportunities like this one didn't rise up very often. Tamaki felt wicked sneaking through the Ootori estate in the middle of the night. It wasn't long before he located Kyoya's bedroom, tried the doorknob … unlocked. Perfect.

Careful not to make too much noise, the blond Suoh boy crept to the bed at the other end of the room, grinning and shaking his head at the sight of his unconscious lover.

'_He fell asleep with his glasses on … cute.' _

Kyoya stirred a bit when Tamaki removed his glasses and set them on the dresser, but he didn't wake up. After stashing his shoes and coat under the bed, Tamaki quietly crawled onto the bed beside his lover and planted a few feather-light kisses onto the Ootori boy's cheek. Kyoya turned to allow Tamaki to claim his lips before his eyes fluttered open in confusion.

"Tamaki?" the raven-haired teen breathed.

"Shhh." Tamaki whispered, placing a finger to Kyoya's lips before capturing them in another kiss, "Happy birthday, Kyo-Kun."

Tossing the blankets back, Tamaki's kisses travelled down Kyoya's chin and neck before the blue-eyed teen lifted up Kyoya's shirt and began worshiping further down his chest and stomach.

"H-how did you get in? The security cameras …" Kyoya whispered, shivering against the sensation of his boyfriend's lips against his bare skin.

Tamaki smirked at his lover's obvious pleasure through his actions. "There's a blind spot at the window to the music room. I saw it last time I played piano for you. Now stop squirming or I'll bite you."

No sooner had those words left his lips than did Tamaki push Kyoya's boxers just below his hips and his mouth descended upon Kyoya's hardening length. Kyoya instinctively bucked into the engulfing warmth and buried a hand into the mass of gold hair between his legs. While Tamaki sucked and gently ran his teeth along the erection, Kyoya threw his head back and gave himself over to pleasure, panting heavily as Tamaki began working harder and incorporated his tongue. Before long, the brown-eyed Ootori shivered and tensed, gripping the sheets beneath him and letting out his release with a quiet moan.

Tamaki let the limp member slip from his mouth and, with a mischievous smile, crawled up his lover to plant a kiss on the forehead of the panting and trembling Kyoya.

Kyoya, however, would have none of that. He took Tamaki by the back of the neck and guided the blond prince's lips to meet his own. After a quick but deep kiss, Kyoya rolled Tamaki beneath him and straddled the blond-haired man's hips.

"You aren't afraid of getting caught?" Kyoya asked as he set to work removing their clothes.

"No, I'm terrified. That's what makes it fun."

"My father's out of town."

"And your brother moved out, and the other one's at college." Tamaki gasped when he felt Kyoya's skilled hand gently stroke his erection while the dark-haired teen's mouth worked at the more sensitive areas of his collarbone. "I don't find opportunities like this every day." He added, wrapping his arms around Kyoya's body and smiling up at his lover.

Kyoya returned the smile with a rare one of his own. He nudged a knee in-between Tamaki's legs, which spread and bent willingly. Tamaki let out a primal cry when he felt a pair of saliva-coated fingers enter him. He cried again and tossed his head back instinctively when the fingers pushed and teased at his pleasure zone. While his spare hand stroked and pinched one of Tamaki's perk nipples, Kyoya leaned back down to smother his lover's cries with a passionate kiss.

"Please, Kyoya." Tamaki begged, tearing his lips away for a moment when deadly accurate fingers found their target within him again.

Kyoya's hand traveled up Tamaki's thigh and placed a leg over his shoulder for a better angle. Setting a slow pace at first, Kyoya gradually entered and began moving within his lover. Tamaki gripped at the sheets around him, letting a whimper escape at how tortuously slow Kyoya was taking things. Taking the hint, Kyoya increased the speed and ferocity of his thrusts until his sapphire-eyed love was teetering on the brink of release. Tamaki reached for a pillow and threw it over his face just in time to scream his orgasm into it. The tightening of his lover's body around him pulled Kyoya into his own release; he threw back his head wantonly and came in a much quieter manner.

Kyoya lowered his lover onto the bed before pulling the blankets over them and taking his usual place cuddled up against Tamaki's chest. Tamaki smiled when Kyoya hugged the two of them closer together and found a comfortable spot with his face tucked into the blond's neck.

"You never really struck me as a cuddler, Kyo-Kun." Tamaki chuckled while stroking the teen's obsidian hair, to which Kyoya raised his head just enough to narrow his eyes at Tamaki. "What?" the blond said with a slight laugh.

"Nothing. It's just that you sound like Tohru when you call me that."

"Who?"

"Tohru Honda. From Fruits Basket."

Tamaki had to stifle a laugh, "Since when do you read manga?"

"Renge was telling me about it a while back, I got curious and read through it." He replied with a roll of his eyes before returning to his comfortable spot at Tamaki's shoulder.

"Would you prefer I call you Neko-Kun?"

"Why would you want to call me Neko-Kun?" he asked, voice muffled from where he was laying.

"Well, Kyo was the year of the cat, and you're a bit like him when you're angry. You're smart, sneaky, you like warm places, you don't like swimming, and you like it when I pet your hair."

"Go to sleep." Kyoya muttered, snuggling a little closer to Tamaki, "The alarm's set. I'll sneak you out in the morning."

"And you like to nuzzle." Tamaki added with a smirk before giving Kyoya a pat on the head, "Sweet dreams, Neko-Kun."

* * *

Haruhi was aware that the twins were planning something for Kyoya's birthday. They were horrible at keeping secrets, even if they had no desire to tell her, she would have figured it out eventually. She still wasn't expecting to be dragged out of her house at six in the morning to "surprise" Kyoya. She had to give them credit for their ability to plan; after being stuffed into the car this morning, she discovered they had somehow convinced Mori and Honey to come for a visit along with Ritsu and Mamoru.

Under the excuse that she would prefer to keep all four of her limbs, Haruhi refused to help Hikaru and Karou wake up Kyoya once they got to his house. While she, Ritsu, Mamoru, Mori, and Honey waited in the hall, the red-haired twins snuck their way into Kyoya's bedroom.

Through the walls, words were incoherent, though noises and individual voices could still be made out. The twin's cheerful greeting was followed by a long silence, and an outburst of yelling on Kyoya's part.

"Is that … normal?" Ritsu asked hesitantly at the sound of what could only be an object being thrown.

"Kyo-Chan's a bit of a grumpy riser." Honey said with a shrug.

Haruhi raised an eyebrow, "Yeah, but I've never known Senpai to lose his cool _that_ much. Did we catch him on a really bad day?"

Almost too quick for the eye to see, the bedroom door was thrown open, the twins shoved out, and then the door slammed behind them.

"What happened in there?" She asked, more from curiosity than anything.

The twins themselves looked like they had just seen a ghost, but at Haruhi's words, they both started holding their sides in an outburst of simultaneous laughter.

"Oh my god, did you see his face?" Hikaru managed to gasp.

"I know, that was priceless!" Karou replied, nearly doubled over in his laughing fit.

"I get the distinct feeling we missed something." Ritsu said with a slight scowl.

"Oh, jeez, you two." Haruhi rolled her eyes and elbowed her way between the two brothers.

"No, wait, Haruhi, I don't think you're prepared." Hikaru managed to say between his laughing just as she reached for the doorknob.

Too late. The door swung open. Somewhere in time and space, the twins were still laughing, but damned if she could hear it over the dead silence in the room where a topless Kyoya stood next to his bed. It took her a second to fully register that Tamaki was sitting on the bed … topless? No, naked. Lovely.

Tamaki finally broke the stillness by clutching the blanket to his chest and turning bright red, "You didn't tell me Haruhi was here, too!"

"Ahh, sorry!"

"Don't apologize, just get out!" Kyoya snapped.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry!" Haruhi continued to chant while backing out through the open door. She shut the door as quickly as possible, but by the time she had rejoined the group, it was clear from the looks on everyone's faces that they had already seen what she had.

"It's not funny!" Haruhi barked at the twins, who were still laughing like hyenas.

"Actually, yeah, it kind of is." Ritsu pointed out.

"I thought we were supposed to be the homo-erotic characters, but this is like a really bad fanfiction." Hikaru snickered, the laughter of him and his twin finally starting to die down.

"Settle down, you two." Haruhi said to the twins, "Look, I can't speak for the rest of you, but I don't care what their relationship is. They're the same people they were before and they looked pretty scared when we barged in on them. Whatever their reason for keeping their relationship a secret, I think we should respect it."

If anyone had a response to Haruhi's speech, they didn't have a chance to voice it when the bedroom door slowly opened. "Why are you still here?" Kyoya growled from the other side, now fully dressed with a collared shirt and jeans.

"Because it's your birthday and we want to have some fun with you, stupid." Hikaru said as if it were the most obvious answer on the planet.

Tamaki shyly peeked out from behind Kyoya, having also thrown on his wrinkled and disheveled clothes from the night before. "Seriously?" he asked, sapphire-blue eyes widening.

"If Tama-Chan's here, that saves us a trip to his house. Come on!" Honey grabbed Tamaki by the hand and dragged him towards the front door. "Wait, I don't have my shoes on!" Was the last thing the rest of the group heard Tamaki say before he was pulled out of sight.


	9. Chapter 9

"_I am the son and the heir  
Of a shyness that is criminally vulgar  
I am the son and heir  
Of nothing in particular._

_You shut your mouth  
How can you say I go about things the wrong way?  
I am human and I need to be loved.  
Just like everybody else does."_

Music theme for chapter – "How Soon is Now?" by The Smiths

**CHAPTER 9**

Taking his usual route home, Kyoya tried to take his mind off of the happenings of the past 48 hours. After shooing Mori and Honey away, he had arrived at his dormitory to find it partially vandalized. The potted plant he kept in the window was smashed, as well as a few of the pictures on his desk. His favorite picture of him and Tamaki was beyond help – someone had taken a sharpie to it in the usual, childish manner of blacked-out teeth and moustaches. Today hadn't been much better. Now that he knew what people were whispering about, he couldn't recall the last time he felt so exposed. His first class left him with a few spitwads in his hair. He couldn't seem to focus in any of his classes, one of his professors snapped at him at one point.

Today hadn't been much better. His ears burned every time he walked down the hallway. Perhaps he was being paranoid, but when you're tripped or bumped into by obnoxious, immature men at least five times an hour, you start to suspect it's attributed to the rumors that are flying about.

He skipped lunch. His stomach was yelling at him by now, but he didn't want to face the social gatherings at any of the cafeterias where gossip was at its peak.

The doorknob of his dormitory decided to jam, too. Of course, that could hardly be attributed to his sexuality, but it didn't make things any less frustrating when he had to take of his gloves and expose his fingers to the frigid cold in order to jimmy the key within the lock.

"Come on …" he muttered. Wiggle the key, try the knob, nothing happens, repeat. He could feel the anxiety building up with each failed attempt to open the door. Was it too much to ask that he go to his own dorm room? Escape the cold and the rumors? Study for his tests? Call Tamaki? Listen to music? Watch a goddamn internet video? ANYTHING was better than this! Hell, he just wanted to get into the heating and not freeze to death!

Just when he was ready to shout some choice words at the door, a hand slightly larger than his own grabbed him by the shoulder and forced him a few steps back. After stumbling for a split second to catch his balance, he looked up, prepared to defend himself against an attack. Instead, the person who had manhandled him removed and replaced the key, jimmied the lock, and had the door open by his second try.

"Thanks, Mori." Kyoya said, far too tired from the day's events to muster a much better greeting, "You're welcome to come in, but I'm afraid it's not that fancy."

Without a word, Mori dangled the key from his finger for Kyoya to take. The brown-eyed Ootori took it, glancing for a moment at the keychain attached (a metal replica of the logo for one of his father's companies), and led his friend inside.

"Where's Honey?" he asked, taking the first few steps up the granite staircase to his second-story room.

Mori took a moment to respond. "Mitsukuni wanted to stay at home today." He said.

A delicate eyebrow rose on Kyoya's face, something was up. He couldn't recall ever seeing Honey without Mori by his side. "I don't appreciate being kept out of the loop, Mori." He said, words emerging with a slight frost to them.

Silence.

"Alright, don't tell me." Kyoya sighed, stopping in front of his dorm room and fishing his key from his pocket, "But would you at least care to explain the bruise on your cheek?"

Luckily, Kyoya was too occupied with unlocking the door to notice Mori's eyes widen for a split second. He reached a hand up to lightly touch the tender area on his face - he hadn't even noticed it had left a mark.

"Eloquent as always, I see. Fine, I'll ask Honey when I see him next." Kyoya said after being greeted with silence.

Crunch. Upon stepping into his room, rather than a solid wood floor, the first thing Kyoya's shoe met was a piece of glass. Internally, he groaned. The heating he had been looking forward to already leaked out of the broken window. Taking care not to step on any more glass, he maneuvered to the rock in the middle of the floor and tossed it into the trash bin, along with the note that was tied around it. He wasn't about to give whoever did this the liberty of reading it.

Crouching on one knee, Kyoya set to work picking up the glass piece by piece. After getting the larger bits out of the way, he tried to pick up the smallest shards, but ended up cutting himself. He instinctively jerked his hand away. Mori pushed past him and reached for the garbage can stashed under his desk. At first, Kyoya thought Mori might be retrieving the note attached to the thrown rock, but instead, his tall friend emerged with several pieces of discarded scratch paper and moved to the bathroom. A few seconds later, he returned with the papers soaked in water.

"The wet paper picks up the glass so you don't have to touch it." He explained after kneeling next to his friend. Within moments, Mori had dabbed up the glass and threw the papers back into the garbage. Not a word was exchanged between the two when Mori took a band-aid out of his pocket and wrapped it around Kyoya's bleeding thumb. Kyoya looked at the kitten-patterned band-aid with puzzlement at first, but then remembered that it was probably originally intended for Honey.

Silence remained as the two taped a plastic bag firmly over the damaged window. Only when Kyoya was sure there was no leaks in the makeshift window did he turn up the heat and finally remove his coat.

"There's no end to the immaturity of some people." He sighed, taking a seat on his bed while Mori took the desk chair.

"This happened before?"

"No, this is the first time my window's been broken." Kyoya said, intentionally misinterpreting the question.

Arg, that silence again. Mori was not the one to go to for conversation. Normally, Kyoya wouldn't mind, but seeing a Mori staring out the window without a Honey eating cake nearby was giving off an admittedly awkward vibe. Then again, Mori and Honey were both 20 now, maybe they were starting become more independent.

"If you're not planning to leave, do you mind if I study before my evening class?"

Mori shook his head. Without another word, Kyoya retrieved a textbook from his desk and leaned against the wall to cram for the next couple hours.

* * *

Mori dropped by the next day, and the day after, and the day after. Kyoya discovered he didn't mind, fewer people were inclined to whisper when Mori was with him, and he enjoyed the company of someone he didn't have to talk to. By the time finals week rolled around, he respectfully asked for some distance. He would be on his way home Friday afternoon anyway, and he didn't want any distractions.

Things were going a little smoother by Friday. The gossip died down, as it tends to do; most likely in favor of a new rumor. He felt unusually confident during his tests. All that cramming paid off when he finished each one sooner than the rest of his classmates.

There was only one final to go, and it was for one of his morning classes. He was walking on air when it ended. He wanted to go home today, but he had the rest of the day to get there. Once his bags were packed, he decided to take the bus instead of the train station. More scenic, he figured. And he would be able to see the place where Tamaki worked on the way there.

Of course, when you're having a good day, _something_ has to go wrong. Kyoya mentally berated himself for taking the wrong bus, but upon taking out his laptop and doing a quick check of the bus routes online, he discovered this one crossed paths with the one he intended to take.

Carefully maneuvering a bulky backpack and duffle bag, he stepped off the bus and started towards the next bus stop three blocks away. Regardless of the number of businesses on this street, it was fairly abandoned. Either people figured it was too cold to walk outside or this was a bad neighborhood … or both. It had started snowing early this morning and there was already a good three or four inches on the ground.

He decided to cut through an alley, but it didn't go through. Before he could turn around at the sight of the brick wall that met him, he was suddenly aware of incredible pain on the side of his head. The weight of his bags brought him crashing to the ground immediately, his duffle bag fell from his shoulder and his glasses scattered a few feet away.

He tried to get up, but he felt dizzy. He took off his backpack and put his hand to the side of his head that was throbbing. The hand was covered in blood when he took it away, and it was hard to see out of his right eye.

At the sound of crunching glass, he looked up and tried to identify the two people in front of him, one of which had stepped on his glasses. The taller of the two was carrying something … a metal pipe? Didn't matter. The taller man struck him in the side with it, causing him to fall to all fours. Though the hit bruised him, his coat cushioned most of the blow.

Not over yet. One of the men pulled him up by his scarf and threw him against the wall. The other one removed his coat (they must have figured out it was acting as armor) and kneed him hard in the stomach. The brown-eyed boy fell to his knees, clutching his injured abdomen. He thought of standing again but the man with the pipe struck his ribs, and he was sure he heard a crack.

Kyoya was laying on his side now. The two men were arguing about something, but he couldn't hear them. He looked up at them as best he could without moving his head. One of the men pulled something from his belt. Kyoya heard a clicking sound, felt something metallic against his uninjured cheek.

'_A gun? You're kidding me …'_ He thought.

The man holding the gun and pipe was stopped by his friend. The two started yelling and fighting again. Kyoya opened his mouth to cry for help, but only succeeded in coughing up blood and staining the white snow red. He tried to rise and run away, shakily lifting himself up with his arms.

His left arm gave out; the one with the pipe spotted him and struck again. Kyoya cried out in pain, rolling onto his back and holding his arm. The man shouted at him and kicked him. He heard the gun cock again.

'_This is how I die? This is pitiful!'_ He cursed in his mind, _'You're a couple of the idiots from school, aren't you? What did I do to you? I didn't do anything wrong! I just fell in love. I just … I at least wanted to see Tamaki one more time before I died. I want Tamaki.'_

A third voice now, coming from the front of the alley. A bystander? An unexpected savior? A friend of the thugs? Did it matter?

"Tamaki …" Kyoya choked, feeling nothing short of pathetic. The crunching of snow signaled him to the fact that the men were running away. The source of the third voice approached him and knelt down.

His cell phone rang, he recognized the ringtone. "Tamaki!" he said, writhing when the pain in his ribs was intensified from the effort of gasping his lover's name.

"Tamaki?" he coughed when he felt the stranger reach into his pocket and remove the cell phone. The stranger draped something warm over his torso before answering the phone for him. Another phone call later, the stranger turned his attention back to Kyoya.

"Please …" Kyoya rasped. He tried to take the cell phone back, but his hand wasn't working and he was struggling to stay conscious.

The stranger's words seemed to come from a very long distance, "Stay with me, kid. Your boyfriend's coming but it won't be good if you fall asleep on me."

* * *

Tamaki slammed the phone back into its holder and jumped to his feet. He was putting on his shoes before he even thought of how he was going to get to Kyoya. The street Dr. Maki said he found him on was several miles away. Ryoji was at work, Haruhi was at school (her last day before winter break), the pharmacy was closed for the holidays so he had nothing to do today.

He dashed out the door and started running down the street. He knew where to go; it was only a few blocks away. Sure enough, he spotted her behind the supermarket, taking a smoke during her lunch break.

"Hana-Chan!" he called, already out of breath when he stopped in front of her. She stopped mid-drag to stare at him in puzzlement.

"Kyoya … Kyoya was attacked … Maki-Sensei found him, but … I need a ride." He panted.

He took a moment to finish panting, nervous when Hana didn't give him an immediate answer. When he dared to look up and opened his mouth to ask again, he received a quick bop on the head. Hana flicked her half-finished cigarette to the side, "So you're just standing there like a jackass? Come on, Kyoya needs you."


	10. Chapter 10: Autumn Nights

So, here's a fun fact: Like with Akito, I didn't know Shizue's name was mentioned in the manga until I looked it up. I was originally going to name her "Leiko" as a joke. So much for that, but you get extra points if you know what the joke was.

Significant lack of fluff in this chapter and the last one. My sympathies, but c'mon guys, do you REALLY think I'm going to kill off anyone? You should know me better than that.

Also, I'm writing this while listening to "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen". Oh, irony~. But I am ready for the Holidays to be here.

This chapter is a flashback.

Music theme for chapter – "Paradise Lost" by Hollywood Undead

**CHAPTER 10 – AUTUMN NIGHTS**

Gossip traveled quickly around the Suoh Second Estate. There wasn't much to come by, so when an especially juicy rumor came about, be damned if you didn't pass it on to the first person you saw.

Of course, gossip never left the household. No, the help had far too much respect for Tamaki to do that. Most of them secretly rooted for him, watching and cheering from the sidelines as he tried to appease his grandmother in any way possible. At the same time, they all knew who signed their paycheck, and some were only on the lookout for their job.

"Oh, no, I completely agree with you." One sandy-haired maid whispered to her friend, "Last night, I heard moaning from his room."

"No way." The taller woman answered, dressed in the uniform of a kitchen servant.

"I'm not even joking; it was like a wild animal was loose or something." She giggled.

"Hey, Hana-San, you get close to his room most of the time, you know anything?" the kitchen worker called.

The red-haired figure flinched from the other side of the room. "Shouldn't you two be getting ready? Shizue-Sama is visiting tonight, remember?" she called back with a forced smile. Her feet were sore, she was about to take her break. Honestly, she enjoyed gossiping just as much as they did, but aside from having made a promise to Tamaki, she was tired from a long day and she really just wanted to go outside for a smoke.

"Oh, come on!" The blond maid practically skipped over to where Hana had stopped, her friend trailing behind her, "You must have seen _something_!"

"Or heard something." The black-haired baker added, "Maybe while you were walking past his room, a subtle cry of, 'oh, Kyoya, right there!'?"

"You two are fucking disgusting, you know that?" Hana sighed, not feeling any need to hold her tongue when she wasn't trying to impress anyone. "And anyway, this has been going on for – What? A little over a year now? A goddamned year. I'm getting a little tired of the gay rumors, whereas I heard Tomo-San has been siphoning gas from the limos lately."

"Really? Wait, where did you hear that?" the blond leaned in and raised an eyebrow.

"You'll have to talk to Kita-San - she knows more about it than I do."

"You're not just saying that to get rid of us, are you?"

"Oh, crap, you caught me. Yes, I would love to go rest my feet, but the word comes from a trusted source, ask Kita-San yourself."

Hana shuffled out of the room as quickly as possible, effectively ducking any more questions they might throw at her. She made her way to the opposite side of the house, out the backdoor of the kitchen to the hidden alleyway that was normally reserved for garbage, but also made a nice place for the help to take their smoke breaks. No sooner had she plopped down on an overturned milk crate and lit up her wonderful tobacco than did one of the chefs pop his head out of the door.

"Hey, Hana-San?" he tried carefully (she recognized him as one of the shyer types), to which she looked up and stared at him blankly.

"Shizue-Sama's been seeing everyone, I was told to tell anyone who hadn't spoken to her to go see her immediately." He explained slowly.

"Shit! She's here already?" Hana jumped up, ignoring her aching feet for the time being, "Tamaki-Sama's not even home yet, she wasn't supposed to be here for at least another hour!"

"Ah, well, I can't say-"

"Oh, never mind, damn it. Where is she?"

"The downstairs study."

Hana pushed past him, patting the dust from her uniform skirt as she sprinted through the hallways to reach the study. Stopping at the door, she paused to catch her breath and put on her best faked smile before opening the door. Dear god that smile was painful, but it was the thing that kept her from being fired.

"Shizue Suoh-Sama?" she asked, knocking on the door a few times, "You asked for us to see you?"

"Yes, come in." An elderly female voice on the other side answered.

Hana pushed the door open and took a few slow steps in. She bowed politely at her boss, fairly thankful that her bangs hid her twitching eyebrow. Tamaki was lenient enough she felt more relaxed around him, but when Shizue was in the room, the tension was thick enough to cut with a knife. The polite smile came so easily at first, now it was eating away at her while she stood upright and waited for Shizue to speak.

"Are you close to Tamaki?" Shizue asked, her words coming out with a slight frost to their edge.

"Not really, Miss." The maid answered, choosing her words very carefully, "We talk on occasion, but I try to concentrate on my work."

"Would you happen to know of any affairs he may be holding?"

"I'm sorry, Ma'am?"

"The Ootori boy – don't tell me you haven't heard the rumors."

"No, I've heard the rumors, but like I said, I try to concentrate on my work."

"How loyal of you."

A knock at the door caused Hana to suddenly relax, very grateful for the distraction. "Yes? Come in." Shizue said. The door was quietly pushed open, revealing another young maid on the other side. "Tamaki-Sama is home, Miss." She said with a polite bow.

"I'll be there in a moment." Shizue replied before dismissing the maid with a wave and then nodding at Hana, "You can go, too, for now."

Hana bowed and then hurried out of the room as quickly as possible. She was ready to return to her break when realization hit her like a ton of bricks: the reason the rumors were so strong today was because Kyoya had dropped by last night! Her eyes widened, the entire house had been preparing for Shizue's arrival, and she hadn't had the chance to stop by Tamaki's room today.

She booked it down the hallway, passing through the main hall where Tamaki had just removed his shoes and coat and was heading towards his room. "In a hurry, Hana-Chan?" he asked curiously.

"No time to talk, your grandma's here, be right back!" she blurted out quickly before turning the corner. She stopped by the laundry room, grabbed a basket, and rushed up the stairs to the bedroom in question.

She got to the bedroom only to realize she had forgotten clean bedding in her haste. She ran back to the laundry room and back to the bedroom again, passing Tamaki and a couple other workers on the way. Not willing to let a moment go to waste, she stripped the blanket and sheets and fumbled while putting on the new ones. Tamaki entered just as she was stuffing the dirty linens into the laundry basket, he looked thoroughly confused, but Hana exited before he could ask any questions.

Finally outside the room, she had to stop and catch her breath. She stood there wheezing for a few moments … curse those smoke-damaged lungs and her addictive habit. When she was finally sure she could walk and breathe at the same time, she started the walk back toward the laundry room; this time, at a normal pace. Even if she were sure she could handle running down the stairs again, she didn't want to risk Shizue suspecting anything.

"I get the feeling you're not telling me everything." Those icy words again … Just as Hana had reached the bottom of the staircase and was ready to turn towards the laundry room, Shizue's voice and footsteps echoed coldly against the marble floor.

Meanwhile, Tamaki stripped out of his work suit and tried to find some more comfortable attire. Dinner wouldn't be for at least another hour, and aside from it being informal, he hated the stuffy suit and tie he was forced to wear. He honestly wasn't crazy about working for his father in the first place, but it wasn't like he had a choice in the matter. After buttoning up a polo shirt over a pair of jeans, he stepped out of his room and was greeted by the sound of an argument happening a ways away. One voice he recognized as his grandmother's, the other … seemed to have taken to letting out a long string of profanities.

"Don't you dare talk to me that way!"

"No! I'm glad I finally snapped, I'm so fucking sick of putting up with you! He's a perfectly good kid but you can't pull your head out of your ass for more than ten fucking seconds to realize it!"

The voices became steadily clearer as he walked towards the staircase. A small crowd of the various household workers had already started to gather here and there, some at hallway entrances and others watching from the balcony banister.

"You insolent brat! I offer him a place to stay out of the goodness of my heart, and the thanks I get is that he turns around and does something so … disgusting."

"Mother?" a third voice entered the argument; Tamaki's father, "What on earth is happening? I can hear you from the other side of the house."

Tamaki stopped once he reached the top of the stairs. He spied his grandmother and Hana around a pile of bedding that had been dumped on the floor. His father, Yuzuru, had just entered looking as confused as he was. Shizue picked up one of the sheets and held it out at her son. "Did you know about this?" she demanded.

"Leave him out of this, you bitch, this is between us!" Hana snapped.

"I've had enough of you! Get out of my sight or I'm calling the police!" the elderly woman snapped in return. The red-haired maid stormed off while she held the sheet under Yuzuru's nose again. "Well?" she said expectantly.

Taking a deep breath for courage, Tamaki descended the steps and decided to make his presence known. "What's going on here?" he asked carefully, though he already had grim suspicions as to what had happened.

"Speak of the devil." Shizue made a face like she had just bit into something sour. She tossed the sheet at him, leaving him no choice but to catch it in mid-air. "Care to explain that?"

He looked down at the sheet in his hands, evidence of he and Kyoya's passionate lovemaking as clear as day on the white cloth. "I-it's not what it looks like." He stammered, turning slightly red.

"The Ootori boy, I know he was here last night." She said, taking a few steps closer and making him feel very small in her presence, "Did you sleep with him?"

"Grandmother, please-"

"Don't talk back to me, you insolent child!" she snapped, "Answer me; did you sleep with him?"

He took a step back in intimidation. His eyes glanced to his father for help, but Yuzuru looked just as helpless and twice as confused. "I-" he began, sapphire eyes meeting his grandmother's cold stare before lowering his face shamefully, "Yes, Kyoya and I are lovers."

"I knew it!" Shizue snapped, "You're not allowed to see him again!"

"You can't do that! I love him!" Tamaki pleaded, the confession pouring out before he had time to stop it.

"It's not love, you fool! It's perverted and disgusting! The manipulative cur just corrupted you into thinking you were in love!"

"Don't talk about Kyoya that way." he growled, dropping the sheet and meeting her gaze again, this time with a glare, "He's cared about me more than you ever have. I had a better home with him and the Host Club than I ever had with you."

"How … dare you." She scowled, apparently unable to speak any words that came to her mind. "Get out of here." She said coldly after a few seconds of tense silence, "Get out or I'm calling the police."

Tamaki's eyes widened in realization of what his outburst had caused. His heart beat so loudly in his chest he was surprised nobody else could hear it. Only a few seconds of tension passed before Shizue's bony fingers seized his wrist and dragged him towards the door. Either she held incredible strength in her elderly form or Tamaki was sincerely too shocked to fight back. He found himself thrown onto the cement steps with the door slamming shut in front of him. A few drops of rain fell onto his shoulders and quickly turned into a heavy downpour before he was even really sure what had just happened.


	11. Chapter 11

I want to see if I can finish this one before I skip town for Thanksgiving. Probably going to be one more chapter and then an epilogue. Also, just out of curiosity, does anyone pay attention to the music themes? I must have changed this one five times before finally settling on Robbie Williams.

I'm thinking I might have to get Kyoya laid before this is over just to make up for all the abuse I've put him through.

Music theme for chapter – "Please Don't Die" by Robbie Williams

**CHAPTER 11**

Tamaki couldn't get out of the car quick enough when they finally stopped. He nearly choked on the seat belt in his haste to leave. Hana stayed behind, nonchalantly pulling out a pack of smokes and a lighter to make up for what Tamaki had interrupted earlier.

The blond ran to the alley as quickly as his feet could carry him. He skidded to a halt the second he spied his boss, crouching next an unmoving figure. "Kyoya?" he choked, falling to his knees beside his lover.

Kyoya turned his head no more than half an inch and strained his eyes to make out the person next to him. "Tamaki?" he rasped. A hand moved underneath what Tamaki recognized as Yasashiku's coat.

Tamaki slipped his hand into Kyoya's and pulled it from under the coat up to his mouth for a kiss. "It's OK, Kyoya, I'm here." He said, lips brushing against the back of his lover's hand as he spoke.

Tears welling up in his eyes and threatening to fall, Tamaki refused to acknowledge the fact that Dr. Maki had walked away or the sound of sirens. He only tore his eyes away from Kyoya's when he felt someone tap his shoulder and barely registered someone asking him to step aside for a moment. While Kyoya was loaded onto a stretcher, Tamaki took a brief second to take in the surroundings. There were three policemen at the front of the alley now, one of them questioning Dr. Maki, the other two apparently waiting for their turn to enter the crime scene. The ambulance personnel hadn't pushed the stretcher more than two feet away before Tamaki was chasing after them with a, "Wait!"

"Are you his friend?" one of the medical specialists asked.

"I'm his boyfriend." Tamaki said with an odd mixture of desperation and pride.

* * *

Ambulance lights flashing behind him, Yasashiku juggled Kyoya's backpack and duffle bag while he tried to open the passenger door of the beat-up station wagon Tamaki had arrived in. When he finally got it open, he tossed the bags into the back seat and met the red-haired woman inside with a look that bordered skepticism. Not that he surprised her, it was simply that, between the black visor, clerk uniform, and the cigarette dangling from her mouth, she didn't look like the type of person Tamaki would associate with.

"It's cold outside." She said.

The doctor hopped into the car and closed the door behind him. "Smoking's bad for your health." He pointed out before clicking his seat belt.

"Fuck you."

"Ah, well … Not that I don't appreciate your hasty arrival, but how did you get here before the ambulance did?"

"Slip me a twenty to give to the cops and I can get to the hospital before the ambulance does, too." She replied while balancing the cigarette between two fingers and shifting the gears to drive.

"I'm good, thanks."

"Wise man. You must be Maki-Sensei."

"That's me." He replied, working up a friendly smile, "And you must be?"

"Hana Hasegawa, nice to meet you." She said, trying on an equally friendly, if not somewhat weary, smile, "Forgive me, I light up when I'm stressed."

"It's quite alright. Thanks for the lift, my car's in the shop so I was walking home."

"Damned lucky you were." Hana tapped some ashes into the ashtray in the door, "How bad is it?"

Yasashiku shrugged, "I think his wrist was broken, probably a concussion, too." He said with a sigh, "I would bet there's a couple broken ribs, he was having trouble breathing. All I could really do was keep him warm and awake until the ambulance came."

* * *

Consciousness came before Kyoya opened his eyes. His eyelids felt heavy, in fact, his entire body felt weighted down like he was underwater. It seemed like it would be hard to move. OK, just try moving a hand. Right hand? No, something was on top of it. Left hand? A little, but something was preventing him from moving much more than his fingers.

Brown eyes drifted open. Wow, the room was bright. A hospital room? It had to be, he was starting to register the feel of the IV in his arm, the steady beat of a monitor somewhere, and the feel of an oxygen mask covering most of the lower half of his face.

What was on top of his arm anyway? How annoying. He managed to wiggle his hand out from under it and place it on top of … a head of hair. That's new.

A few fumbles later, Kyoya had the mask off of him and set it aside. Still groggy from what he assumed was painkillers that the doctor probably gave him while unconscious, he managed to prop himself up on his right shoulder (seeing as the left was restricted by a cast and IV) and get a good look at the person who had decided to use his arm as a pillow.

He sighed and rolled his eyes. Very carefully and very slowly, he pulled himself into a sitting position so his hand was free to stroke Tamaki's face with the back of his finger. "Idiot." He said with some strange endearment behind the insult.

Tamaki stirred a bit and looked ready to nuzzle back into the blankets when his eyes flew open and he seemed to realize who was caressing his face. He immediately sat up in his chair, sapphire orbs widening at the sight of his lover; he sincerely looked like he was ready to start crying.

"You smell really bad." No sooner had the words left Kyoya's lips than he was tackled in a fierce hug that forced him to lie back down.

"I've been here for four days! The doctor said you slipped into a coma! I thought I lost you!" Tamaki's confessions poured out while he forcefully buried his face into Kyoya's neck, "Don't scare me like that! Haruhi and Mori and everyone else have been worried sick!"

"Ow!"

"What?"

"My ribs, you idiot! You're killing me!"

Tamaki pulled back with a quick squeak of surprise and returned to his chair. The blond watched diligently while Kyoya clutched his side with his good arm. When he finally found it in himself to sit up again, he took in the surroundings a bit more. Aside from the typical equipment and furniture of a hospital room, several "Get Well" gifts managed to spread themselves here and there. Cards and flowers in the windowsill and on the table, a bear and some balloons tied to the foot of the bed, et cetera. Every inch of him wanted to put on something other than the very revealing gown he had on, but he wasn't sure if getting up and walking would be a wise idea right now.

"Four days?"

Tamaki nodded, understanding the question Kyoya didn't want to ask. "Your father dropped by Friday night, he said he had something to take care of but that he'd be back when you woke up."

"Great." Kyoya sighed. Tamaki moved to sit on the edge of the bed and hesitantly wrapped his arms around his raven-haired lover, though with significantly less ferocity this time. Understanding his boyfriend's need to be more clingy than usual, Kyoya briefly returned the embrace before searching for the button to raise the head of the bed. Once he was able to lean back without disturbing Tamaki, he moved his hand to pet the mass of golden hair resting on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry." Tamaki said, "He showed up the evening after you were attacked and insisted you be transferred to this hospital. I didn't know he was going to visit and I didn't want to leave you alone."

"It's fine, he was going to find out sooner or later."

"You should have told me what was going on."

"It was just petty pranks until I was attacked, you didn't need to worry about it."

"And you call me an idiot?" Tamaki planted a kiss on Kyoya's lips and brushed a few locks of messy, black hair out of his face. Kyoya worked up a weak smile and leaned forward for another kiss. Tamaki subtly licked at the lips of his lover, asking for passage which Kyoya granted without hesitation.

"He's never going to get better that way, Boss." A voice behind them remarked before flicking Tamaki in the back of the head.

"_Hikaru_!" Tamaki whined and turned to face the red-haired twins who had just entered with Haruhi, Mori, Honey, and a concerned-looking nurse trailing behind them.

"Senpai, you're awake!" Haruhi exclaimed, doing her best to hide her joy at seeing him.

"You expected me to stay unconscious forever? You're not getting rid of me _that_ easily." Kyoya replied with a smirk.

The nurse had been hanging towards the back was stepped past by a man in a doctor's coat. He raised an eyebrow at the sight before him, but shook his head with a smile. "When the nurse called and said your vital signs suddenly jumped, I wasn't expecting the kid I had in a coma a few days ago to be having a party, Ootori-San." He joked.

Kyoya looked up, recognizing the man as his regular doctor. His father must have had him moved to one of the Ootori private hospitals. "It's good to see you, Honda-Sensei. Though I wish it were under better circumstances." He greeted with a smile.

"If your friends don't mind waiting in the hallway for a few minutes, I'd like to do a quick check-up."

"I'm sure they can be patient enough."

After a couple whines of protest (mostly from Tamaki), the doctor managed to usher the crowd into the hallway. He returned the bedside and took a seat in a chair once the two were alone in the room. "How are you feeling?" he asked while taking a stethoscope to Kyoya's back.

"A little dizzy, and my sides hurt."

"Breathe for me … did that hurt?"

"A little, yes."

"You fractured some ribs; you're going to be in pain for at least a few weeks. Since your concussion healed up, the dizziness is probably from the pain medication. I'd lower your dosage, but you'd be hurting even more then. Anything you can't move or feel?"

"Besides my left wrist?"

The doctor chuckled, "It's broken, but not too badly. Come in for a check-up in about four weeks and if all goes well, I can take it off in about six."

"Thank you."

The doctor stood, turning to the sink to wash his hands. "I thought you might want to know, by the way," he added, "They arrested the men who attacked you."

"They did?" Kyoya looked up, suddenly very interested.

"They couldn't do a positive ID from what the man who found you saw, but someone else managed to track them down and turn them in. They confessed, but beyond that, I don't know much. Your dad will probably know more."

"Is he coming here?"

"I have to inform him you woke up, and I can't imagine he'd leave his own son alone when you've been unconscious for half a week." He smiled, "Try not to looks so tense. It's not like any of this is your fault."


	12. Chapter 12

Yes it's incest. No, I don't care. If other people can write HikaruxKarou fanfiction, I can hint at chemistry between other characters damnit.

I'm so glad so many people seem to like this. While being highly experimental, I did reach my goal of finding some areas to improve and stretching my style a bit, so I'd call this one a success :). And if you all enjoyed it, that's even better. Hana even ended up twenty times more popular than I expected her to. I may consider having her make a cameo in a future fanfic as a bit of an Easter Egg for everyone.

STAY TUNED, there WILL be an epilogue.

Music Theme for Chapter – "I Will Follow You into the Dark" by Death Cab for Cutie.

**CHAPTER 12**

"Mori?" Kyoya asked, causing his tall, quiet friend to pause and meet his gaze, "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

Amazing how Kyoya could still be authoritative and intimidating while bedridden. His hard stare met Mori clear from the other side of the room.

Kyoya had only woken up that morning. His father, Yoshio, was going to visit that evening. Tamaki already decided that Kyoya wasn't going to face him alone, and Haruhi was gracious enough to point out that he should probably go home to shower and change his clothes before Yoshio came. The entire group had stayed and visited for most of the day, but Haruhi and Tamaki had left with the promise to return and everyone else was preparing to follow suit when Kyoya called out to Mori.

With a wave and a nod to Honey, Mori waited until they were alone before approaching the bedside.

"I know it was you." Kyoya said, speaking very slowly, "The one who chased down turned in the men who attacked me. And I know they didn't attack me sooner because you were acting as my bodyguard. The way you reacted when you pinned the boy with the knife – I've never seen you so passionate about something; passionate for you, anyway. I know you're protective, but I can't recall ever seeing you actually chase someone down. Before the authorities could, no less. And what makes me even more curious is the fact that you seem to be keeping all your actions from Honey." His eyes met Mori's seriously, "You have to have a reason. I'd really like to know what it is."

Mori averted his gaze for a moment, as if he was contemplating weather or not to answer the question. After a few seconds, he pulled his wallet out of his back pocket, removed a picture inside, and handed the picture to his friend.

Kyoya took a minute to make out the picture. He was starting to get a headache from going without his glasses for so long, and ended up holding the photo at arm's length just to get a good look at the people in it.

Amazingly, the brunette boy in the photo with his arms wrapped around Mori's neck was not Honey. The Mori in the photo also looked significantly younger, at least middle school age. In any case, it was taken long before Kyoya met him. Mori was also smiling; not an unheard of occurrence, just very rare. It would appear Mori was tall even when he was young; the brunette looked to be having a difficult time keeping himself latched to Mori's neck, though he was grinning with pure delight.

It took Kyoya a second to put the pieces together.

"I see …" the Ootori boy said, handing the picture back to his friend, "What was his name?"

"Darrel." Mori said, returning the keepsake to his wallet, "He was an exchange student, he didn't have many friends. He had even fewer after we started ... dating."

"And he died?"

"He was killed."

The silence following was, surprisingly, not as awkward as one would think. Kyoya simply took a few seconds to mull over the new information. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up anything painful." He said at last.

Mori shrugged, "The police wouldn't do much. There weren't any witnesses, so they said it was just another hate crime … I never told Mitsukuni."

"Because you like him?" Kyoya asked.

Pause.

"But he doesn't like you that way." Kyoya finished, "And you just didn't want to see Tamaki or I go through what you did."

Mori looked away.

Kyoya sighed, "I thought I had it bad. At least, whatever happens with Father, I'll still have Tamaki."

He didn't miss it when a slight smile spread across his tall friend's lips. "What? You know something I don't?" Kyoya said, raising one eyebrow.

Without another word, Mori left the room.

* * *

"Kyoya …"

The familiar voice seemed to echo from far away. "Kyoya!" it repeated. The black-haired teen felt his shoulder being shook as the voice continued to call to him, "Kyoya! Neko-Kun, please wake up!"

"_What_?" He finally growled without opening his eyes, "I can't take a nap without you going into a panic now?"

"You scared me before! I thought you wouldn't wake up!" Tamaki whined.

Kyoya cracked one eye open just enough to glare at Tamaki, cranky as usual after having just been roused from a deep sleep. "I'm not planning to die on you anytime soon." He said with a slight snarl.

Tamaki smiled and leaned over his lover. "I know, but it sounds better when you say it." He said before spanning the gap between them for a kiss that effectively calmed Kyoya for the time being.

Kyoya was ready to deepen the kiss when a man at the front of the room cleared his throat. Tamaki habitually stood upright in his presence, but Kyoya ended up flinching when his haste to sit up sent a shooting pain through his ribs.

"Relax, sit down." Yoshio said, "You've both had it a bit rough, from what I hear. You're allowed to rest."

Tamaki took the chair by the bed while Yoshio walked further into the room. Kyoya wouldn't have been able to relax if his life depended on it, but felt a little more confident when he felt Tamaki slip a gentle hand into his own and lace their fingers together.

Yoshio stopped at the foot of the bed. "Tamaki, you might want to call your father." He said after what seemed like an eternity of silence, "He contacted me a couple weeks ago in a complete panic because he hadn't heard from you since Shizue-San kicked you out."

Tamaki's eyes widened. The blond teen felt his lover squeeze his hand comfortingly before the Ootori patriarch continued.

"I wasn't exactly shocked when he told me the reason the two of you fought, but I was very surprised when he told me the reason why he thought you might have escaped to my house." Kyoya's father continued, "I don't know why my son felt the need to keep a lover from me, but I was planning to wait until he came home for a visit to confront him about it."

"Father, I-"

"Please let me finish." He stated firmly, causing Kyoya to lower his head before allowing the man to continue, "Of course, that plan was ruined when I received word that you were attacked, Kyoya. I wanted to talk to Tamaki since I knew he would be by your side, but by the time I got into town, I was told your attackers had been arrested and were ready to confess. All I could do was stop by to make sure you were still alive; there was a lot of legal paperwork to deal with, especially when the men informed me they had been hired to kill you. Some more investigating uncovered that you were being harassed; but how much of it was actual bullying and how much of it was just set-up to make the attack look more like a hate crime is anyone's guess. Of course, I think you can figure out who hired the men."

Kyoya didn't look up. He felt Tamaki run a thumb soothingly across the back of his hand, but both knew better than to speak until Yoshio gave a sign that he was done speaking.

"I've been considering splitting Ootori Medical for a while now. I made my final decision after I heard of your excellent grades. Akito knew, but if I'd known he would feel so threatened, I never would have discussed it with him. In any case, however, I don't want someone willing to assassinate his own brother over half of a medical firm to be taking over any of my businesses."

Kyoya looked up so quickly, he found it a small wonder that his head didn't fly off. He wasn't sure how to respond, but Yoshio must have found something amusing in the speechless expression when he smirked at his son, "Of course, if you still don't want it, it's not too late to enroll Tamaki in business school. I did promise Yuzuru I'd keep an eye on him if I found him. Which I can't do if he's living in an apartment several miles from the estate, by the way."

If either teen had something to say, it was interrupted when Yoshio's cell phone chimed. He checked the caller ID before sighing, "I can't get a break lately. Well, the doctor says you can come home tomorrow, so I'll give the two of you until then to think about it."

Yoshio exited the room, leaving the stunned lovers alone. Kyoya stared at the closed door, all but forgetting Tamaki was in the room until he felt his blond boyfriend's arms wrap around him and the familiar, rich laughter fill the silence. "I can't believe you were so worried!" Tamaki laughed, moving to the edge of the bed so he could hug Kyoya more comfortably.

"So I was the only worried one now?" Kyoya asked, raising one eyebrow.

"No." Tamaki said with a chuckle before resting his forehead against Kyoya's, "But I don't think you give your father enough credit. He raised you, so he must have done _something_ right."

Kyoya let out a quiet laugh of his own before returning the embrace as best he could with one arm. "I love you, Tamaki." He sighed contentedly, resting his head in it's usual place on Tamaki's shoulder.

"I love you, too, Neko-Kun. Your dad certainly has a way with giving Christmas presents."

Kyoya's eyes widened, "It's Christmas?"

"Tomorrow's Christmas Eve."

"So much has been happening, I completely forgot."

Tamaki kissed and buried his face into the raven-colored hair. "That's OK, Neko-Kun. I'm just happy everything worked out." He purred, leaving light butterfly kisses against Kyoya's scalp, "I'll give you your present when you go home tomorrow."

"You are coming with me, aren't you?"

"Of course."


	13. Epilog

Merry Christmas. Your gift is lemon.

Sooooo ... I've pretty much already settled on writing a spin-off to this. Same timeline, different pairing. See if you can guess who it is ;) If it interests you, keep an eye on my stories.

Thank you one last time so VERY much for reading this. I've found some areas that need improvement and I'll improve on them in future stories so I'd call this one a success. And if you enjoyed it, that's even better. Hana even ended up ten times more popular than I thought she would o_o. I also didn't plan on the timing of that ending, it just worked out that way, which is kinda cool ^^.

Music theme for chapter – "Rainbow Veins" by Owl City

**EPILOG**

In the three months he had been without glasses, Kyoya still found himself habitually reaching for a pair of frames that weren't there. Seizing the opportunity that arose after his glasses were crushed, he decided to follow Tamaki's long-aged advice and get contacts.

He stepped into his house, though with some admitted hesitancy. It was mid-semester break, he hadn't had the opportunity to visit in a while, and he hadn't seen Tamaki or his house since he had his cast removed a few days ago. He knew for a fact Tamaki wouldn't waste any time in …

"Kyoya!"

Well, in _that_. Tamaki called his lover's name while sprinting down the main hall to greet him in a rough tackle-hug. He really didn't waste any time now that they were free to show each other's affection. Luckily, Kyoya had the foresight to toe off his shoes and hand his bags to one of the maids before his excited boyfriend sent him tumbling to the floor.

"I didn't think you were going to fall over." Tamaki said while grinning down at Kyoya.

"What did you think was going to happen?"

"You're supposed to catch me in your arms, swing me around, and sweep me off my feet for a kiss."

"I am?"

"Mm-hmm." Tamaki sang before stealing a quick kiss from Kyoya's lips, "It's OK, you have time to practice." He stood and helped his raven-haired lover up. Kyoya smoothed a few wrinkles out of his shirt and rolled his eyes at the blonde's suddenly-messy appearance.

"You knocked your tie loose." Kyoya said, adjusting the red tie and un-popping the collar of his dress shirt.

"I was about to take it off anyway." Tamaki said with a shrug.

"You might as well wear it to dinner now. Besides, you look handsome."

Tamaki's grin widened at the compliment. He had been working for Yoshio since he moved in, but made plans to start college after the summer. Just like his job with the Suoh business, what he disliked most was having to wear a stuffy business suit all the time. But unlike the job with the Suoh business, he was setting money aside for Medical School so he could eventually move on to work under Ootori Medical doing something he might actually enjoy.

Day was as routine as any day with Tamaki, though he at least had the respect to keep his kisses and touches to a minimum when they were around Kyoya's family members. Night held a different story. The fear of getting caught still existed and seemed to add fuel to their lovemaking, though the consequences of being seen now leaned less towards punishment and more towards mere embarrassment.

Unconsciously pulling against the binds, Tamaki squirmed when Kyoya ran his lips down the blonde's neck and collarbone, causing him to shudder every time one of his more sensitive areas was nipped or suckled at.

"Jerk – is this the only reason you wanted me to keep the tie on?" The blond panted, glancing above his head where one end of the necktie kept his wrists together and the other end kept him tied to the metal headboard.

"Only partially; you really do look handsome in it." Kyoya said with a smirk while moving aside part of the unbuttoned shirt so he could kiss down Tamaki's stomach. Tamaki bit his lower lip against the wonderful sensation of Kyoya's lips and tongue on his bare flesh until the brown-eyed teen swept away his pants and slowly licked the underside of his cock. He started panting heavily when Kyoya's mouth swallowed his hard length from root to tip, his heart beating faster within his chest. Just as he was ready to start bucking into his lover's mouth, Kyoya released him, earning a cry of frustration from Tamaki at not finding release.

Tamaki watched carefully as Kyoya's smirk widened slightly. He jumped off the bed and turned with his back facing Tamaki to do a sensual strip-tease for his tied-up lover. Now naked and obviously aroused, he grabbed the bottle of oil from the nightstand before returning to his place between Tamaki's bent legs.

It took all of Tamaki's strength to keep from crying out when Kyoya's mouth descended on him again and oil-coated fingers entered him. When Kyoya found his hidden pleasure zone with well-practiced accuracy, he all but screamed, "Neko-Kun, please!"

Kyoya moved up to kiss Tamaki, instantly parting the blonde's lips and allowing him to massage the inside of his lover's mouth with his tongue. Tamaki relaxed all too soon, not realizing how Kyoya had positioned himself until a quick thrust claimed his body. Tamaki tore his lips away and threw his head back, panting. Each thrust intensified his pleasure until he was sure he could see fireworks behind his eyelids. Kyoya, too, panted harder and moaned a little each time he moved until he increased his speed and wrapped his hand around Tamaki's length. Within a few strokes, Tamaki came with a primal cry and his tightening body allowed Kyoya the same release.

Once both men caught their breath, Kyoya removed the wrinkled shirt and tie and tossed them in the laundry hamper before returning to bed for the cuddling he would never admit to liking. While he buried his face against Tamaki's neck, his talkative boyfriend decided to engage in some almost-one-sided pillow talk.

"I forgot to tell you."

"Hm?" Kyoya grunted, too tired to question why whatever it was couldn't wait until morning.

"Mori emailed me today."

"What did he have to say?" Kyoya stifled a yawn.

"Apparently he moved away from the dojo he and Honey were staying at. He wants to attend a Police Academy."

"He should be good at that."

"Hikaru, Karou, and Haruhi graduate in a few months, too."

"How quickly 'your little girl' grows up."

"She wants to go to law school."

"What about the twins?"

"They're being secretive as usual, but I think they actually plan to go to different colleges. And Honey's taking over his father's dojo the second he completes his training."

Kyoya shifted positions, keeping his arms wrapped around Tamaki's torso and his head safely tucked against the blue-eyed man's neck. There wasn't much he could say, and he was ready to fall asleep any minute.

"Kyoya?"

"Yes?" he asked, suppressing a sigh.

"We're all growing up."

"Brilliant deduction; when did you figure that one out?"

Tamaki let out a light and fatigue-laced laugh. "It just happened so fast. Yesterday, we were serving women in the Host Club and today we're going our separate ways." He said, stroking Kyoya's obsidian hair in the way he knew would get his brown-eyed lover to relax.

"We're not going our separate ways. Haruhi's not about to let any of us lose contact with her and you know Honey can't stay away from Mori for too long. Same goes for Hikaru and Karou." Kyoya said while allowing his eyes to drift shut, "We're just growing up, it was bound to happen."

"But so soon?" Tamaki asked. When he received no answer, he shifted a little to look at Kyoya's face and discover the former host had fallen into a deep sleep. He smiled and allowed his eyes to drift to Kyoya's left arm and the place where the skin was still pale after removing the cast, and finally to the thin gold ring he had given Kyoya for Christmas. After bringing the healed wrist to his lips for a kiss, he rested his chin on top on Kyoya's head.

"Sweet dreams, Neko-Kun." He said before allowing sleep to overcome him as well.

**THE END**

**Just for the hell of it –** the list of songs that were rejected as chapter themes (usually because I found a song that I thought worked better):  
"All That I'm Living For" by Evanescence  
"The Bird and The Worm" by Owl City  
"The Buisiness of Paper Stars" by Hawthorne Heights  
"Coffee Break" by Forever the Sickest Kids  
"Colorblind" by Counting Crows  
"Cover Me" by Candlebox  
"Denrier Combat" by Manau  
"Don't Let Me Die Still Wondering" by Flogging Molly  
"Firefly" by Breaking Benjamin  
"Fly on the Wings of Love" by DJ Sammy  
"How to Save a Life" by The Fray  
"Imagine" by Brunch  
"In The End" by Linkin Park  
"Inori - You Raise me Up" by Lena Park  
"It's Coming Down" by Cake  
"The One I'm Waiting For" by Relient K  
"One Last Breath" by Creed  
"Orchards of Mines" by Globus  
"Sad Songs and Waltzes" by Cake  
"So Magical" by A Touch of Class  
"Take Me To Space And Back" by Renard  
"They" by Jem  
"The Voice" by Celtic Woman  
"Wolsik" by Tabu


End file.
